Pierre Beauville has found a way to control his four sons even after death and he is rolling in his grave with glee.  Because the latest generation of Beauville men - François, René, Gerard, and Leonard - must jump through the ultimate hoop to win an inheritance in excess of one hundred million dollars.  They must marry, and remain married for three years, to women that Pierre has chosen for them.  Women whose names have been placed on The List.  The Beauville men must marry before the youngest brother turns twenty-one.  Simple?  Not if you're a Beauville.The town of Sugartree has revered its native sons for over a century.  The Beauvilles are descendents of Ely Beauville, the slave who escaped his chains, made a fortune, and came back to purchase the plantation on which he had once been worth less than an animal.  The slaves of the old Cotter Plantation became free townspeople, and the land surrounding the plantation became known as Sugartree.  Even today most of the town is employed at Beauville Industries, working in the plant to churn out the best canned fruit and the meatiest pecans in the south.  The town of Sugartree loves the Beauville family so much sometimes it hates them.  Notenough to confront them with that hatred, but enough to seethe quietly.  It is well known that the Beauvilles are constantly being cursed.  Since Ely Beauville himself, people have held grudges against the powerful light-skinned black family.  One curse was that no girls would be born on Beauville land.  And now the Beauvilles covet the fact that they create only boys.  It has become a badge of honor.  And then there is the curse of abundance.  But once again, that curse only serves to increase their power - they create the best peaches and watermelon in the country.  So the Beauvilles are hated, yet still they prosper.  Some think the more they are hated, the better, the more powerful, the stronger they become.So what if the Beauvilles are rumored to be insane?  Insanity doesn't seem to hurt them any.  They are still rich.  They are still powerful.  And they are still smart enough to keep the Beauville foot on the necks of Sugartreens.  So when the latest generation of Beauville men begin to pick over the women in town, the townspeople figure that it's just one more rumor come to life.  There is no reason to think that an arranged marriage won't work for the Beauvilles when everything else goes their way.  That is, until they get slapped with another curse.  And slowly the house of Beauville begins to tumble under the power of the simple truth.The List is the story of eight individuals, each struggling to find their way in a family with its own distinct patterns and history.  The Beauville men, and the women who marry them, must learn that life doesn't always award what is promised, even when the promise is made in writing.