In 'The Heiress: A Novel,' when North Carolina's wealthiest and most controversial woman, Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore, passes away, the legacy she leaves behind is as complex as her multi-hyphenate name. Having experienced a notorious kidnapping as a child and outlived four husbands, Ruby’s influence over Tavistock is undisputed. Her adopted son Camden, who has distanced himself from the wealth and drama, is reluctantly drawn back to the imposing Ashby House after an uncle's death. Together with his wife Jules, who shares his desire for a simple life, they are confronted by the enigmatic history of the infamous heiress. As they unravel the threads of Ruby’s mysterious past, including rumors about her disappearance and the fate of her husbands, they find themselves questioning the true nature of inheritance and the inescapable bonds of family that reach beyond death.