The Sky Beneath Her Characters

A paralegal in Norfolk struggling with divorce and fear of the ocean after her mother's diving death. She accepts a summer job to close a house on the Outer Banks, which forces her to confront her past and her family's connection to the Oceanus wreck.

Arc: Tula evolves from avoiding the ocean and living her ex-husband's dreams to diving the Oceanus, releasing her mother's necklace, and deciding to start a new life with Nathan, finally feeling at home.

• Dave — her ex-husband
• Kaitlin Stewart — friend and temporary employer
• Nathan Rogan — former dive partner, later romantic interest
• Mariah Cassidy — her deceased mother
• Mr. Brooks — her boss at the law firm who gives her the assignment
• Dr. Atticus Brooks — deceased owner of the house she cleans; benefactor
• Margaret Riggs — her great-grandmother, later revealed as Gertrude Werner
• Lex Green — journalist who tells her about her mother's cancer and the trust

A Roma woman fleeing Nazi persecution and her abusive husband Alfred. She boards the Oceanus under a false name, gives birth in a lifeboat after the ship is torpedoed, and ultimately reinvents herself as Margaret Riggs to start a new life in America.

Arc: She goes from a victim running from her past to a survivor who stabs her pursuer, delivers her baby at sea, and accepts a new identity to protect her son, leaving her old life and name behind.

• Alfred Gruber — her abusive husband
• Elke — her adoptive mother who found her on the riverbank
• Eric — her great-uncle who helped raise her
• Dr. Atticus Brooks — fellow passenger and doctor who helps her
• Sigrid Stein — antagonistic acquaintance who betrays her
• William Weller — Sigrid's companion who threatens her
• Chief Mate Kevin Riggs — ship officer who helps her board a lifeboat
• Mrs. DuPont — fellow passenger who supports her during labor
• Eric (infant son) — her son, named after her uncle

Gertrude's abusive husband, a wealthy Austrian industrialist who brands and assaults her. He pursues her across the Atlantic using agents, but is reported dead in a boating accident on the Danube.

Arc: He is a controlling predator whose threats drive Gertrude's flight; his death finally frees her from fear.

• Gertrude Werner — his abused wife
• Sigrid Stein — agent who reports to him
• William Weller — associate who works with him

A diver and documentary filmmaker who interned with Tula's mother. He returns to dive the Oceanus wreck and helps Tula overcome her fear of the ocean, eventually becoming her romantic partner.

Arc: He reconnects with Tula, shares his own grief over her mother's death, and encourages her to dive, leading to a romantic relationship.

• Tula Cassidy — former dive partner, later girlfriend
• Mariah Cassidy — former boss; he feels guilt for not diving with her the day she died
• Dr. Atticus Brooks — knew him as the oldest diver he met
• Kaitlin Stewart — acquaintance

Tula's high school friend who runs a cleaning service and surf shop on the Outer Banks. She offers Tula a place to stay and pushes her to face her fears, while struggling with her own business debt.

Arc: She supports Tula's healing journey, admits to being behind on bills, but ultimately encourages Tula to dive the Oceanus and make her own choices.

• Tula Cassidy — friend and temporary employee
• Nathan Rogan — acquaintance; she updates him on Tula
• Lynn — supplier at Currituck Cleaners
• Doug — acquaintance at rec center

An American book dealer and doctor on the Oceanus who later lives to 118. He helps Gertrude during the voyage, collects clippings about Tula's mother, and sets up a trust for Tula after her mother's death.

Arc: He remains a mysterious figure who aids survivors and spies, leaving a legacy that connects Tula to her great-grandmother and the Oceanus wreck.

• Gertrude Werner — patient and acquaintance on the Oceanus
• Sigrid Stein — makes a deal with her for information
• Tula Cassidy — beneficiary of the trust he established
• Mariah Cassidy — confidant; he helped her hide her illness
• Margaret Riggs — fellow survivor of the Oceanus
• Mr. Brooks — his great-nephew

The chief mate on the Oceanus, originally from North Carolina. He helps Gertrude board a lifeboat during the sinking and later visits her in the hospital with flowers.

Arc: He shows kindness and professionalism, becoming a figure of safety for Gertrude, and is eventually remembered in Tula's research.

• Gertrude Werner — passenger he assists and later visits
• Captain Joseph Stoddard — his superior
• Dr. Atticus Brooks — familiar with him from previous voyages

A mysterious woman traveling with William Weller on the Oceanus. She helped Gertrude escape Vienna but later works for Alfred, threatening to trade Gertrude's baby for her own freedom. She is sent away by Dr. Brooks after the sinking.

Arc: She is a survivor willing to make deals, but her betrayal and shifting alliances keep her as a threat to Gertrude throughout the voyage.

• William Weller — companion and lover
• Gertrude Werner — acquaintance she betrays and later pressures
• Alfred Gruber — works for him to find Gertrude
• Dr. Atticus Brooks — makes a deal with him for her family's freedom

A U.S. industrialist rumored to have armed Nazis. He travels with Sigrid, keeps her locked in their cabin, and threatens Gertrude on deck. He dies after falling and breaking his neck during a fight on another ship.

Arc: He acts as an antagonist to Gertrude, but his death removes one of the threats against her.

• Sigrid Stein — companion he controls
• Gertrude Werner — he threatens her on the ship
• Alfred Gruber — associate

Found baby Naida naked on the riverbank, wrapped her in her coat, and raised her with Uncle Eric. She acted out of kindness and compulsion.

Arc: She dies before the main story, but her act of rescue sets Naida's origin and identity.

• Naida — her adoptive daughter
• Eric — her uncle with whom she lived

Elke's uncle who helped raise Naida. He ran a bookshop, sold rare books to a mysterious woman, and warned Naida about the selkie's connections. He represents Naida's protective family.

Arc: He is a stabilizing figure in Naida's childhood, but his shop is destroyed during Kristallnacht, precipitating her flight.

• Naida — his great-niece
• Elke — his niece
• Alfred Gruber — customer to whom he sells a book

Tula's mother, a free-spirited diver and explorer who died in a diving accident on the Oceanus wreck. She hid her terminal brain cancer and asked Dr. Brooks to look after Tula.

Arc: Posthumously, her secrets and choices drive Tula's journey to understand her past and reconcile with the ocean.

• Tula Cassidy — her daughter
• Nathan Rogan — former intern; he feels guilt for not diving with her
• Dr. Atticus Brooks — confidant who set up a trust for Tula
• Lex Green — journalist who wrote articles about her

Tula's ex-husband who sent a notice to vacate the house they shared. He is a land-lover and ultramarathon runner.

Arc: He represents the stable, land-based life Tula left behind; he has no arc in the story beyond being the catalyst for her departure.

• Tula Cassidy — ex-wife

A partner at Tierney, Brooks, and Bainbridge who gives Tula the assignment to close his great-uncle's house on the Outer Banks. He offers her a partial manuscript about the Oceanus.

Arc: He facilitates Tula's return to the Outer Banks and later thanks her with a check and a coin.

• Tula Cassidy — boss and employer
• Dr. Atticus Brooks — his great-uncle

A journalist who wrote articles about Mariah Cassidy. He meets Tula and reveals that Mariah had terminal cancer and that Dr. Brooks set up a trust for Tula.

Arc: He provides key information about Tula's mother's illness and her connection to the Oceanus.

• Mariah Cassidy — subject of his articles
• Tula Cassidy — he shares information about her mother

A passenger on the Oceanus who dines at the captain's table and later supports Gertrude during labor in the lifeboat, vowing to protect her from Sigrid.

Arc: She shows compassion and practical help, providing emotional strength to Gertrude in crisis.

• Gertrude Werner — fellow survivor she assists during childbirth
• Mr. DuPont — her husband

Captain of the Oceanus who worries about the crew and the dangers of the Atlantic crossing, including the pregnant passenger.

Arc: He is a minor authority figure whose concern for his ship sets the tone for the voyage.

• Chief Mate Kevin Riggs — his subordinate

An acquaintance at the rec center who shares information about Dr. Brooks: his longevity, possible spy past, and role in finding a missing child. He directs Tula to Morrison's Auction House.

Arc: He provides local knowledge that helps Tula investigate Dr. Brooks.

• Kaitlin Stewart — acquaintance
• Tula Cassidy — recognizes her and shares information

A nervous diver on Nathan's boat who experiences a panic attack underwater and claims to have seen a white ghost-like cloud on the Oceanus wreck.

Arc: He pushes through his fear and returns for another dive, but remains spooked by the unexplained sighting.

• Nathan Rogan — dive instructor
• Tula Cassidy — she helps calm him after his panic

The family cat who cuddled with baby Naida in her crib and hissed at the selkie woman. He had no use for humans but accepted Naida.

Arc: He remains a minor figure in Naida's childhood memories.

• Naida — the baby he cuddled with
• Elke and Eric — the family he lived with