Cornwall, 1795-1799Although 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 with his wife, Demelza.All four women - the four swans - whose lives touch Ross's face a crisis in these years. For his wife, Demelza; his old love, Elizabeth; his friend's new wife, Caroline; and the unhappy Morwenna Chynoweth, these are times of stress and conflict.