The story is divided into two phases: in the first, the protagonist José Alfredo becomes a smuggler, being separated from his great love for the manipulative Cora. Disappointed, enters the world of smuggling of precious stones and builds an empire along with aristocrat María Marta. In the second part, José Alfredo is a millionaire who sees his empire threatened by the arrival of Cristina, his illegitimate daughter, and the struggle of his wife and children for the family patrimony.