Revolutionary war veteran Ross Poldark faces the darkest hour of his life in this third novel of the Poldark Saga. Reeling from the tragic death of a loved one, Poldark vents his grief by urging impoverished locals to salvage the contents of a ship run aground in a storm—an act that demands death by hanging in the eyes of British law. Ross is brought to trial for his involvement, and despite their stormy marriage, Demelza tries to rally support for her husband, to save him and their family. But there are enemies in plenty who would be happy to see Ross convicted, not least of which is George Warleggan, the powerful banker whose personal rivalry with Ross grows ever more intense and threatens to completely destroy the Poldarks. And into this turbulent family saga, Jeremy Poldark, Ross and Demelza's first son, is born...