The central character, Ross Poldark, returns from the American wars to his home in Cornwall, only to find that his fiancee, Elizabeth, having believed him dead, is about to marry his cousin, Francis. Ross attempts to restore his own fortunes by reopening one of the family's tin mines. He marries Demelza, a servant girl, and is gradually reconciled to the loss of Elizabeth's love.
In the television series (which departed significantly from the novels in some respects), Ross Poldark was played by Robin Ellis and Demelza by Angharad Rees.