A Poldark quartet

Ross Poldark: Tired from a grim war in America, Ross Poldark returns to his land and family, only to find his father has died, his estate is derelict and the girl he loved is engaged to another. But then he rescues a half-starved urchin girl and takes her home, an act which, it turns out, will alter his life. Demelza: Demelza, the miner's daughter Poldark rescued from a fairground rabble, is now his wife. Demelza's efforts to adapt to the ways of the gentry and her husband, bring her confusion and heartache, despite the joy in the birth of their first child. And the seeds of dispute with Warleggan are also sown. Jeremy Poldark: Ross Poldark stands accused of wrecking two ships. Despite their stormy marriage, Demelza has tried to rally support for her husband. But there are enemies who would be happy to see Ross convicted, not least George Warleggan, the powerful banker, whose personal rivalry grows ever more intense. Warleggan: Set in Cornwall in 1792. Ross's marriage to Demelza is threatened when he plunges into a risky mining venture and starts a new liaison with old flame Elizabeth, while Demelza retaliates by getting involved with a Scottish soldier.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.