Hattie Brooks is the novel’s protagonist. She is a 16-year-old orphan. After her parents die, Hattie lives with Aunt Ivy and Uncle Holt. While Hattie gets along with Uncle Holt, she internalizes Aunt Ivy’s disgust toward her, which leads her to have low self-esteem. Hattie is a resilient, hardworking person. Hattie wants to have a family more than anything in her life. She wants to feel connected to a community, but she worries that she will never have that opportunity. Hattie’s internal conflict stems from her fear of trusting in herself to know the difference between right and wrong.

Hattie’s internal conflict reflects the turmoil of World War I. When Hattie says goodbye to Charlie at the novel’s beginning, she does not realize how much the war will affect her own life because she thinks of it as being far away from her. Yet, her experiences in Montana show her that American nationalism threatens to abuse and harm the people that she loves. When Hattie first meets Leafie and listens to her complain about Traft, she wonders how Leafie can be so sure of the difference between right and wrong. She wonders if she will ever be able to point out injustice and stand up for people.