The elderly heir of a formerly wealthy and respected Chilean family, Andres, suffers from decadence and solitude. He hires young Estela in order to look after his tiranic and almost crazy grandmother. The differences in class and age don't stop Andres from courting Estela, whose fiancé Mario tries to make some money with the passions of his well-off rival. The suffocating atmosphere of the run-down mansion in the outskirts of Santiago represents the deterioration of the bourgeoisie, and sets the scene for the total collapse of Andres.
When Camilo and his girlfriend, Pola, start to struggle in their relationship, she asks for a week away from him to assess the situation. Although Camilo agrees, he feels confused, as his undemanding life is made uncomfortable for the first time. Soon he meets Mikela, a disaffected teenage girl whom he befriends. However, when Camilo discovers Mikela's past diagnosis as a schizophrenic, he begins to worry about her safety.
A small house is devastated by the irrepressible force of the Ñuble river. Anita is rescued from the riverbank while her parents disappear into the water. She is given in adoption to her godparents, who can not keep her, they turn her over to a large hacienda in the area, where the little one will be the companion of the sickly patron, Lucia. When the owner of the hacienda dies, Anita, disregarding the advice of the other servants, stays to serve the boss, Don Pablo. She is already a woman and he is a single man. A strong attraction emerges between the two. This sad story of love and revenge as strong and uncontrollable as the overflowing waters of the Ñuble River.
