Heart o’ the Hills

A determined, resourceful young woman who evolves from seeking revenge to embracing education and independence. She navigates family pressures, threats from outsiders, and evolving relationships, growing into a resilient heroine by the story’s end.

A wealthy aristocrat who flirts with Mavis and represents a world of privilege and power. His presence creates tension with the town’s working-class figures and with Jason, testing Mavis’s loyalties.

A protective, sometimes jealous boy who grows alongside Mavis. He admires her resilience but struggles with romantic competition, illustrating the emotional stakes of small-town life.

Geologist and schoolteacher who counsels Mavis toward education. He serves as a moral compass and helps guide the community through its crisis.

Mavis’s stepfather and antagonist, manipulating Martha and clinging to control. His violence drives much of the danger in the story.

Mavis's mother, torn between a harsh marriage and her daughter’s welfare. She eventually seeks safety for Mavis and remains a key figure in the family’s upheaval.

The protective patriarch who defends the family against police disruption and keeps a shotgun-ready stance. He embodies rural pride and stubborn defense of kin.

A powerful antagonist who plans to seize coal lands, catalyzing conflict in the town before his death in the plot.

Wealthy patron who adopts Mavis, symbolizing a path from poverty to high society and offering protection and a new family structure.