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Summary
This Prologue sets the stage by retracing the broad emotional trajectory the 2015 BBC adaptation showed, a path often sharply divergent from Winston Graham’s novels. It follows the years shaped by Ross Poldark’s fixation on Elizabeth Chynoweth, the strain this placed on his marriage, and the choices that ultimately drove Demelza to leave Nampara.
At the same time, this AU restructures the 1790–1795 arc to serve the story that follows. Several threads shift earlier or unfold differently: Demelza’s friendship with Caroline Penvenen, her first meaningful encounters with Hugh Armitage, and the quiet strengthening of her independence. Certain series plotlines are condensed, reordered, or set aside entirely to keep the focus on Demelza’s emotional journey and the consequences of Ross’s choices.
Spanning 1790–1795 (unpublished Chapters 1–25), the Prologue provides the revised history through which this AU emerges. Only then does the true narrative begin. From Chapter 26 — The Gulf Between Us onward, this story follows the aftermath the adaptation never confronted: a marriage bent past breaking, a woman reclaiming her dignity, and the reckoning that unfolds when Ross finally seeks her out.