John Skipper - Husband to Tsalahi Hinote and father of Runaway Swimmer (George Washington Skipper).
Tsalahi (Sally) Hinote - Daughter of Red Tree (Cherokee Chief) who forsook her life with and duty to the Cherokee people to marry John Skipper.
George Prescott - Ambitious land prospector who murders John's family.
Red Tree - Proud Cherokee Chief and father of Tsalahi Hinote. He forbids Tsalahi to marry John since she is the future of the Cherokee (Tsalagi).
Walking Wind - Cherokee woman who befriends Tsalahi after she and John have moved to Alabama. She abducts George Washington Skipper in an attempt to bring hope back to the Cherokee people, as he is the descendant of Red Chief Red Tree.
Hand on String - Cherokee leader who discovers that John and Tsalahi were responsible for the decline of the northern Cherokee tribes since there was no strong leader after Red Tree.
Runaway Swimmer - Stolen from his family when he was three and knows himself only as a Cherokee. He discovers before he joins the Confederacy that he is actually George Washington Skipper and is torn between who he was and who he is.
Samuel Skipper (Sipper) - Older brother of Runaway who blames himself for his brother's loss. He joins the Confederacy in an attempt to protect his young son (George) from the dangers of war.
George Washington Skipper (Sipper) - Samuel's son who finds himself at odds with his father after he insists on enlisting to protect him from the war.