Clara Rosa is the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy landowner in Santa Barbara del Zulia and a peasant named Rosalinda who was presumed dead from drowning in the river. Emiliano her father refused to recognize Clara Rosa as his child, and she grows up into a beautiful woman full of illusions. Her bitter and poor aunt Vinceta raised her up in the slums of Caracas together with her two sons. Due to their poor situation, Clara Rosa is forced to earn a living as a street peddler though she dreams of having a better life for herself.