The main events of this saga take place at the end of the 18th - in the first quarter of the 19th century, the place of action is the English county of Cornwall. The main character of the novel "Ross Poldark", which opens the cycle, is a young British officer who participated in the American War of Independence and returns to his native home after the death of his father. In his absence, the family estate fell into final desolation, and his bride Elizabeth, considering Ross dead, became engaged to his cousin Francis Poldark...