Will Sampson is the novel’s protagonist and narrator. He is 40 years old. With a Blackfoot mother and a white father, he has always struggled to find where he truly belongs. When the loss of his job as a photographer in Toronto prompts him to returns to Medicine River, the town where he was born, and open a studio there, Will is not sure how he feels about the idea of Medicine River as home, but the longer he stays there, the more he begins to settle in and find his place. This is symbolized in the town photograph, which Will joins, indicating that he is a part of a much broader family: the Blackfoot community.

Some of Will’s many conflicts stem from his past experiences, his father’s absence, and his feelings of inadequacy. Will has always felt that he does not live up to others’ expectations of him. He also fails to commit to Louise despite the many signs that he should. Will does not often express his emotions outward, leaving the reader instead to infer how he feels from his tone and his reactions. Sometimes Will misleads others as well as himself, particularly when it comes to his father, about whom he makes up stories even into adulthood.