The unnamed mother is the story's protagonist, and the narrative follows her perspective through the close third person. As the embodiment of maternal instinct, the mother faces every parent’s worst nightmare when an intruder enters her home and threatens to harm her children. Though she is a small woman who has always considered herself to be physically and emotionally weak, she takes valiant and self-sacrificing action to save herself and her children from the threat. Interspersed with the minute-by-minute account of their travail are the mother’s memories of traumatic events in her childhood and young adulthood, all of which shape her personality and her responses to the current danger. As a single mother, she feels the weight of responsibility for her family's well-being, and this pressure is depicted through her agonized internal monologues, which highlight the burdens and expectations of her role as a caretaker. Her sense of duty is a central aspect of her character, and as the situation escalates, saving her children becomes her entire identity. Throughout the ordeal, she is consciously aware of the importance of remaining calm for the children, but she knows that they can sense her anxiety.