Raquel Rivas Cantú, a young orphan and heir to a great fortune, is raised by her housekeeper, Mariana. Mariana is resentful of Raquel because she believes the Rivas Cantú family stole the life she deserved. Raquel eventually marries an honest widower named Pablo. Pablo has a daughter, Carmen, who is studying at a private boarding school.
Raquel and Pablo have another daughter, Gaby. Pablo begins to suspect that Mariana is not the person she appears to be, so he puts Gaby in the care of a nanny on the condition that Mariana never gets close to her.
After four years of immense happiness, one day Mariana sits Gaby down to play in the middle of the street. While driving home, Pablo almost runs over Gaby but manages to see her in time to avoid her. Gaby is not harmed but the shock causes Pablo to have a fatal heart attack, leaving Raquel and Gaby alone. Raquel takes Mariana's advice, given in bad faith, to enroll Gaby in a private boarding school. At this school, Gaby meets Carmen and the two grow up together without knowing they are half-sisters.
Mariana and her son, Felipe, make the life of the Rivas Cantús a nightmare. However, several characters show up later and provide an unexpected turn to this story of love, revenge, and betrayal.
