On Monday, May 5, 1997, Canal de las Estrellas started broadcasting Esmeralda weekdays at 8:00pm, replacing Mujer, casos de la vida real. The last episode was broadcast on Friday, November 14, 1997 with Desencuentro replacing it the following Monday. It was the first collaboration between Fernando Colunga and Juan Pablo Gamboa, who would both later work in La usurpadora (1998), which is also a production of Mejia.
In the United States, it was first broadcast on Univision from December 15, 1997 to July 9, 1998.
Rodolfo Peñareal is obsessed with having a male child. After many miscarriages, his wife Blanca is pregnant again. One night, a girl is born, but they believe that she was born dead.
In the same town, in another, more humble house, a boy is born, but his mother dies during labor. The midwife and Crisanta, the nanny of Blanca, with their best intention and with the aim to calm down Rodolfo, decide to exchange the children.
While Blanca is unconscious, Crisanta gives a pair of emerald earrings to the midwife, forcing her to forget what happened on that night. Once the exchange is done, the midwife Dominga, discovers that the girl is not dead, but now it is too late to right the wrong.
In this way, the boy that was born in a miserable hut sees his first light in the opulence of a big house, while the sweet little girl who was entitled to a golden crib, gives her first steps among ramshackle walls and misery.
Esmeralda, the Peñareal's baby girl, was born blind, but the kindness of her heart provides her the light to be happy and the illusion to believe that someday she will meet love. Her eyes are the "eyes of love".
Time passes and the destiny of both of the children, Esmeralda and José Armando, comes across as they instantly fall in love. However, the obsession, the wish, the family interests, the false love of a woman and the Peñareal's pride to make their lineage prevail, destroy any noble feeling.
Esmeralda and José Armando are the victims in this sea of resentment that, little by little, submerges them into the darkness of indifference.
Born blind, when she was a baby it was thought that she was dead and was switched by Dominga & Crisanta with Jose Armando, her name comes from the emerald earrings Crisanta gave to Dominga, is in love with Jose Armando, Jose Armando's wife, Jose Rodolfo's mother, Rodolfo & Blanca's biological daughter, Alvaro's ex-fiancée, Dominga raised her since birth, Fatima's niece, Graciela's cousin, she befriends everyone
Doctor of General Medicine, his real mother died during childbirth and Dominga gave him to Crisanta to take the place of Esmeralda which they thought was dead, in love with Esmeralda, Esmeralda's husband, supposed real son of Rodolfo & Blanca, both his biological parents are deceased, Jose Rodolfo's father, Fatima's nephew, ex-fiancé/cousin of Graciela, colleague/ex-friend of Alvaro, colleague/best friend of Sebastian, ex-fiancé of Georgina
Villain, later becomes good, Graciela's mother, Rodolfo's & Blanca's sister-in-law, Jose Armando's & Esmeralda's aunt, she wants Graciela to marry Jose Armando for his money because her husband died and barely left any inheritance, Dr. Malaver & Georgina's former accomplice in the scheme to distance Esmeralda from Jose Armando
Graciela "Gracielita" Peñarreal Linares vda. de Valverde
Fatima's daughter, Rodolfo's & Blanca's niece, Esmeralda's cousin, Jose Armando's cousin/ex-fiancée, Jose Rodolfo's aunt, Emiliano's widow, Gustavo & Rita's ex-daughter-in-law, crazy in love with Adrian, died from an overdose of pills because of her desperate love for Adrian
Alejandro Ruiz
Adrián Lucero
Dioniso's son, Floresita's brother, his first and great love was with Graciela, in love with Aurora, Aurora's husband, Socorro's son-in-law, befriends everyone, a Casa Grande employee
Esmeralda's biological father, Jose Armando's father, Blanca's husband, Jose Rodolfo's grandfather, Fatima's brother-in-law, Graciela's uncle, Casa Grande owner
Villain, Bernardo's daughter, madly in love with Jose Armando, hates Esmeralda, always tries to separate Jose Armando from Esmeralda, Dr. Malaver's & Fatima's former accomplice to distance Esmeralda from Jose Armando
Villain, the village doctor, half of his face is disfigured due to a fire, in love with Esmeralda, he demanded that Esmeralda become his, claimed that Jose Rodolfo is his son, died of a heart attack, before he died he confessed to Jose Armando that Jose Rodolfo is his son and not Dr. Malaver's as he claimed. Georgina's & Fatima' s former accomplice
Ophthalmologist, ex-fiancé of Esmeralda, colleague and ex-friend of Jose Armando, Hortensia's son, broke off his engagement with Esmeralda after finding out that she still loves Jose Armando
Esmeralda's mentor, gravedigger and administrator in the village cemetery, died after an illness (actor become sick during the filming of the telenovela and was hospitalized with serious liver problems and died after some time)
Elsa Cárdenas
Hortensia vda. de Lazcano
Alvaro's mother, Esmeralda's ex-future mother-in-law, she taught her to read and write after Esmeralda regained her sight
Raúl Padilla "Choforo"
Trolebús
Befriends everyone, left the city and lives in the village, replaced Fermin in the cemetery and took over
Blanca, Jose Armando, & Graciela's nanny, her and Dominga switched Esmeralda and Jose Armando at birth and kept it a secret for years, she loves Blanca, Esmeralda, Jose Armando and Graciela as though they were her own children
Raquel Pankowsky
Juana
Dr. Malaver's maid, is in love with Dr. Malaver
Elsa Navarrete
Aurora "Aurorita" de Lucero
Socorro's daughter, in love with Adrian, Adrian's wife, Florecita's sister-in-law, Dionisio's daughter-in-law, Esmeralda & Dominga's roommate and friend, Jose Rodolfo's Godmother
