Character Relationship Map: The List

Characters

• Desmond Larochette (played by Malcolm McDowell) — protagonist

  Desmond Larochette is a senior figure in the List who welcomes Renny Jacobsen into the organization with a Corvette and money. He later explains the group’s history, Renny’s connection to Amos Candler...

• Renny Jacobsen (played by Chuck Carrington) — supporting

  Renny Jacobsen is the attorney and central protagonist, summoned to Charleston after his father’s death and unexpectedly made heir to the estate. His involvement with the List brings wealth, danger, a...

• Jo Johnston (played by Hilarie Burton) — supporting

  Jo Johnston is Renny Jacobsen’s companion and a source of emotional support as he considers leaving his law firm to write about Southern families who moved to Brazil. She attends List-related gatherin...

• Gus Eicholtz (played by Pat Hingle) — supporting

  Gus Eicholtz is one of the established members of the List whom Renny Jacobsen meets at a Charleston gathering. He belongs to the organization that controls vast wealth and discusses distributing thir...

• Daisy Stokes (played by Mary Beth Peil) — supporting

  Daisy Stokes provides shelter to Renny Jacobsen and Jo Johnston and speaks with them about forgiveness and the pain caused by family absence. She also shows Renny a ledger and recounts a warning about...

• Amos Candler (played by Frank Hoyt Taylor) — supporting

  Amos Candler was one of the twelve people invited to the List’s first meeting in 1863. According to Desmond Larochette, he turned against the organization and later caused his family’s financial ruin....

• Thomas Layne (played by Tim Ware) — supporting

  Thomas Layne is identified as one of the List members present when Renny Jacobsen is introduced to the organization in Charleston. He belongs to the wealthy group involved in the proposal to distribut...

• Bart Maxwell (played by R. Keith Harris) — supporting

  Bart Maxwell is one of the established List members whom Renny Jacobsen encounters at the Charleston gathering. He is part of the organization’s wealthy inner circle, whose members welcome Renny as a...

• Michael Flournoy (played by Richard K. Olsen) — minor

  Michael Flournoy is one of the List members introduced when Renny Jacobsen attends the Charleston gathering. He belongs to the organization that possesses enormous wealth and treats Renny as a new mem...

• Jefferson McClintock (played by Joe Inscoe) — minor

  Jefferson McClintock contacts Renny Jacobsen while Renny is occupied with a major business merger. His call prompts Renny to leave for Charleston after the death of Renny’s father, making Jefferson th...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Renny Jacobsen → Amos Candler (Temporal Descendant) — Renny's ancestry makes Amos's historical betrayal relevant to the present crisis.

  Desmond explains that Renny is descended from both the Candler and Jacobsen families, linking him to Amos Candler's branch of the List's history.

• Desmond Larochette → Renny Jacobsen (Power Gatekeeper) — Desmond controls Renny's entry into the organization and directs his role in its crisis.

  Desmond welcomes Renny into the List, gives him a Corvette and money, and later tells him that he is the key to resolving the crisis.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Jefferson McClintock → Renny Jacobsen (Unknown Caller) — Jefferson serves as the contact who initiates Renny's journey into the family and List mystery.

  Jefferson McClintock calls Renny while Renny is handling a major business merger, prompting the events that lead Renny toward Charleston.

• Desmond Larochette → Amos Candler (Conflict Historical Opponent) — Amos represents the earlier betrayal that still shapes Desmond's explanation of the organization.

  Desmond recounts that Amos was one of the original List members but turned against the group and caused his family’s financial ruin.

• Thomas Layne → Michael Flournoy (Alliance Fellow Member) — Their relationship is established through their shared organizational setting.

  Thomas and Michael attend the same List gathering with the other named members.

• Gus Eicholtz → Thomas Layne (Alliance Fellow Member) — They are connected through membership in the List.

  Gus and Thomas are among the List members gathered when Renny is welcomed and the proposed distribution of wealth is discussed.

• Gus Eicholtz → Bart Maxwell (Alliance Fellow Member) — Their shared presence identifies them as members of the same organization.

  Gus and Bart attend the same List gathering and participate in the collective context surrounding Renny's induction.

• Desmond Larochette → Michael Flournoy (Alliance Organization Ally) — Michael belongs to the same collective that Desmond uses to recruit Renny.

  Michael is present with Desmond at the gathering connected to the List, where the group discusses its wealth and Renny's membership.

• Desmond Larochette → Thomas Layne (Alliance Organization Ally) — Thomas is presented as a fellow member of Desmond's organization.

  Thomas attends the List gathering where Desmond welcomes Renny and explains the group's financial arrangements.

• Desmond Larochette → Bart Maxwell (Alliance Organization Ally) — Bart is part of the organization that Desmond represents to Renny.

  Bart attends the List gathering with Desmond and the other members during the discussion of the organization's wealth.

• Desmond Larochette → Gus Eicholtz (Alliance Organization Ally) — They appear as members of the same powerful organization.

  Desmond and Gus are introduced together at the List gathering, where the group treats Renny as a new member and discusses distributing its wealth.

• Desmond Larochette → Jo Johnston (Conflict Suspected Adversary) — Desmond casts suspicion on Jo and places her in opposition to his account of the crisis.

  Desmond tells Renny that Jo is somehow involved in the crisis surrounding the List.

• Renny Jacobsen → Daisy Stokes (Social Seeker And Informant) — Daisy provides Renny with refuge, moral guidance, and important information.

  Renny brings Jo to Daisy's home, where Daisy offers them shelter and later shows Renny a ledger connected to the danger surrounding the List.

• Renny Jacobsen → Jo Johnston (Alliance Supportive Companion) — Jo supports Renny's ambitions while becoming entangled in the List's conflict.

  Jo encourages Renny to write his book, attends the List-related gathering with him, and is later connected to the crisis Desmond describes.

Story Analysis

A grieving attorney is drawn into an old Southern organization whose wealth, betrayal, and family lineage converge in a mysterious confrontation.

Plot Progression

1. Inheritance And Return — Renny receives news of his father's death and travels to Charleston. The funeral and handwritten will force him to confront his family history and unexpected inheritance.
2. Welcome Into The List — Renny and Jo encounter the List and its wealthy members. Desmond welcomes Renny with money and a Corvette, while Renny begins imagining a new life as a writer.
3. Ledger Of Hidden Danger — Daisy offers shelter and speaks about forgiveness and family absence. The List's wealth and delayed payment raise suspicion, while Daisy's ledger suggests that the organization conceals a serious dang...
4. The Candler Betrayal — Desmond links Jo to the crisis and identifies Renny as the key to resolving it. He recounts the List's 1863 origins, Amos Candler's betrayal, and Renny's dual family descent.
5. The Power Behind The List — Renny confronts the power behind the organization. Desmond invokes a mysterious cord of three strands, and the supplied story ends at this unresolved confrontation.