 In 19th century Mexico, Dr. Manuel Fuentes Guerra inherits a fortune of his father, whom never wanted to recognize him as his son. Now turned into a millionaire gentleman, the doctor looks for an appropriate wife. His election falls on Matilde Penalver y Beristain, daughter of an aristocratic family but that has come to less. Manuel, and Matilde s family ignore that she is compromised in secret to a military official by the name of Adolfo Solis. Augusta, the mother of Matilde, has Adolfo put in jail, and Humberto, Matilde s brother, contracts a woman to fake to being Adolfo s in front of Matilde. Now Augusta obligates her daughter to get married to Manuel. Adolfo escapes from jail, but not in time to prevent the wedding. But Matilde discovers the trap that her family had put on her, and suspects that her husband had something to do with it. She decides to abandon him that same day of the wedding, but Manuel discovers her and takes her by the force to his ranch where he subjects her to all types of physical and moral vexations. Adolfo, under another identity, gets to the ranch and is hired by Manuel to be the administrator of Manuel s two ranches, and Manuel gives him all of his confidence. Grudgingly, Matilde has discovered that her husband has many virtues and she finally falls in love with him. The hapiness of Matilde and Manuel shall last very little, especially when the doctor discovers that his administrator is his wife s ex-boyfriend. To Matilde will come the repudiation of her husband, the expulsion from her home, and the public shame because she is pregnant and Manuel doesn t want to recognize his child.