On her deathbed, Esperanza's mother, Isabel, begs Antonio Uribe to take care of her teenage daughter. Because Isabel was the only woman he ever truly loved, Antonio agrees to raise Esperanza as his own child. She comes to live in the Uribe household, where she meets Antonio's son, Luis Gustavo. Soon Esperanza and Luis Gustavo develop a profound and beautiful love between them--a love that Luis Gustavo's mother, Consuelo, will not tolerate because of the hatred she has always felt for Isabel. Stopping at nothing to end the youngsters' budding reationship, she succeeds in separating them. Ten years later, Luis Gustavo and Esperanza meet again, only to discover that the feelings they had for each other are as intense as ever and now they're determined to fight for their love.