Cornwall 1795 -1799. Although Ross Poldark -- now something of a war hero -- seems secure in his hard-won prosperity, a new dilemma faces him in the sudden infatuation of a young naval officer for his wide Demelza. All four women -- the four swans -- whose lives touch Ross's face a crisis in these years. For his wide Demelza, his old love Elizabeth, for his friend's new wife Caroline and for the unhappy Morwenna Chynoweth these are times of stress and conflict. 'From the incomparable Winston Graham... who has everything that anyone else has, and then a whole lot more. ' Guardian