"Just when Ross Poldark, now something of a war hero, seems secure in his hard-won prosperity, he must confront a new dilemma: the sudden infatuation of a young naval officer with his wife, Demelza. And it soon becomes evident that Demelza is not the only woman close to him whose life is in turmoil. Ross's old love Elizabeth, her cousin Morwenna, and his friend's new wife Caroline have also become embroiled in their own personal conflicts in life...

Valentine Warleggan's paternity still poisons the atmosphere, and his financial and marital troubles form a major narrative strand set firmly against the saga's familiar background of Cornwall. Meanwhile, Bella Poldark's desire for a musical career takes her to stages in London and France, where she is involved with rival suitors. Her widowed older sister, Clowance, must also choose between two men of vastly different backgrounds who propose marriage....

When Captain Ross Poldark is brought to trial for his involvement in an illegal ship salvage, his wife Demelza tries to rally support for him and his enemy, powerful banker George Warleggan, tries to ensure his conviction.

The Poldark family awaits the return of Ross from his mission to Wellington's army in Portugal. But their ordered existence ends with Jeremy Poldark's dramatic rescue of a stranger from the sea. Stephen Carrington's arrival in the Poldark household changes all their lives. For Clowance and Jeremy in particular, the children of Ross and Demelza, Stephen's advent is the key to a new world -- one of both love and danger.