New York 2140

Stefan and Roberto are two young boys who live in a boat outside of the Met Tower. They are also illiterate and poor, orphaned by the floods. The fact that they have had such difficulty surviving highlights the reality that countless other children died during and after the Pulses. The boys are a symbol of the human will to survive, curiosity, ingenuity, and resilience.

Stefan and Roberto are also too young to be jaded, so their actions are generous and authentic. They are fearless explorers willing to risk their lives to discover the sunken treasure of the HMS Hussar, with which they form the Marine Wildlife Institute rather than seeking to enrich themselves.

Inspector Gen is a long-time detective. She is a tall, intimidating woman who is loyal to the New York Police Department, but who is also careful about choosing her battles. Gen is a relentless investigator and a member of the Met Tower co-op—as such, she is perfectly positioned to connect the kidnapping of Mutt and Jeff to the sabotage of the building. Gen’s identity is her work. She also prefers to use older methods of police work, since she finds them more reliable. For instance, her younger assistants tease her because she prefers to write on chalkboards and connects threads between possible suspects in a case, rather than employing digital tools. She is an example of the wisdom of using what works best, rather than automatically adopting what is newest or appears to be the most innovative.

Charlotte Armstrong is an attorney who works on behalf of immigrants and refugees. She is initially resistant to the idea of running for Congress, but by the end of the novel, she realizes that she can do more to pursue her ideals by working in the upper levels of the government than by working as an attorney. Charlotte works tirelessly, but is often pessimistic, overwhelmed by the demands of her job, and frustrated by her frequent inability to make huge changes in the lives of her clients. Like Gen, she is an example of age leading to wisdom. She is more mature than most of the other characters, less prone to impulsive action, and methodical in her thinking. At the end of the novel, Charlotte has begun a romantic relationship with the newly morally reformed Franklin. 

When the novel begins, Franklin is a ruthless day trader who lives for the high he gets from the risk of gambling in the markets. Franklin is also an innovative entrepreneur. He invents an algorithm that helps him price real estate in the intertidal residential zones, giving him an edge that allows him to capitalize on opportunities before many other traders are aware that they exist.

When he becomes interested in Jojo, another trader, his single-minded focus on making money turns her off. In order to win her approval, Franklin begins investing in ventures that will have a positive impact on society. When he comes up with the brilliant invention of eelgrass housing that will survive potential future floods, he finds that he is more interested in the altruistic aspects of the venture, rather than in the money it will bring him.

Franklin is an optimistic symbol of how superficiality can become generosity and empathy. When he thinks about others instead of himself, he grows more creative and useful to society—and his ideas are still profitable. But he is most surprised to find himself attracted to the older Charlotte who makes him laugh and is driven by causes greater than her own needs. By the end of the novel, these qualities are what he finds most important. 

Vlade is the supervisor of the Met Tower. 16 years before the novel begins, his child drowned, leading him to separate from his wife, Idelba. Vlade is overworked and depressed, never able to forget about his tragedy. To distract himself, he tends to Stefan and Roberto, monitors the safety of the building obsessively, and participates in the executive board duties of the Met Tower.

Vlade and his wife are the only two characters in the novel who have lost loved ones as a direct result of the floods. His grief is a reminder that the floods were a devastating catastrophe that ended many lives. Vlade’s reconciliation with Idelba is a sign of that peace and hope are possible whenever people are able to come together to support each other.

Mutt and Jeff are quants, or coders who specialize in designing computer systems. Jeff is the most idealist character in the novel, and his actions in the first chapter create much of the tension in the other characters’ story arcs. While working for a large hedge fund, Mutt and Jeff learned that their boss was acting illegally in various financial deals. Jeff grew disillusioned with the finance system, speaking constantly of the need for a revolution, and for people to gain control over the government once more. He wants vengeance against the banks and the world’s wealthiest people. Jeff codes a hack that revises the 16 laws that govern the world’s financial systems. He and Mutt are then abducted and held prisoner in a shipping container underwater.

Jeff has the firebrand personality that has often been required to lead a revolution. He is so bitterly against the system that he views vengeance against oligarchs as interchangeable with justice. Mutt agrees with him most of the time but provides a tempering viewpoint to Jeff’s fury. At the end of the novel, Jeff has been convinced to continue trying to change the system however he can, but the success of the Householders’ strike has given him hope and diminished his anger.