在这部继母犯罪/剧情/悬疑片中,一个家庭的命运可能在瞬间彻底改变。二十年前一个名叫帕特里西娅的女人的神秘死亡，摧毁了富豪埃斯特万幸福美满的家。美丽的女主人玛丽亚因为无意间闯入是非之地而背负了杀人的罪名，从此开始了漫长痛苦的铁窗生涯；埃斯特万虽然不相信妻子会杀人，但在证据面前也无言以对。他收养了帕特里西娅的孩子莱昂内尔，带着自己尚未成年的一对儿女孤单过日。为了不在儿女幼小的心灵蒙上阴影，埃斯特万向孩子们谎称他们的母亲已经死去，并且在墙上悬挂了一幅并非妻子的画像，说那就是孩子们死去的母亲。久而久之，画像中的女子便成为孩子们日夜思念的神圣亲人。当他们听说埃斯特万准备和年轻女子安娜·罗莎准备结婚时，心中异常反感，他们根本不能允许一个陌生女子代替他们心目中的母亲的位置。
其实，反对埃斯特万再婚的不止是孩子们。一直爱慕埃斯特万的法维奥拉为了阻止婚事，甚至闯到埃斯特万的办公室，威胁他如果再婚，就把所有的秘密都公之于众。无奈之下，埃斯特万只好对养子莱昂内尔吐露实情：他的母亲帕特里西娅并非死于交通事故。这个消息使莱昂内尔异常震惊……
一心觊觎埃斯特万财产的安娜·罗莎眼见情况越来越不利，便加紧了她的爱情攻势。埃斯特万夹在儿女和安娜·罗莎之间，真可谓左右为难，无所适从。就在此时，远在千里之外的玛丽亚从监狱长手里得到了获释通知书——在律师的努力下，她终于可以重新返回自由的世界了……
A terrible tragedy puts an end to a group of friends' pleasure voyage. Maria hears a gunshot, and finds her friend Patricia dead, and, within her confusion, she picks up the gun. Maria is found guilty of murder and is sentenced to life in jail. Her husband, Esteban, an important business man, doesn't believe in her innocence. When he goes back to Mexico, he divorces her, buys the silence of everyone whom was with them on the trip, and tells his sons that their mother died in an accident. Twenty years later, Maria is put in liberty due to good conduct and goes back to Mexico in search of vengeance. She is decided to find out the real killer and upfront Esteban, whom she now hates because he abandoned her at her own risk. But what she most wishes is to have her son and daughter, Hector and Estrella, back. The first thing that Maria does when she arrives is that she cites everyone who was with her on the trip: Esteban; Servando, one of his associates; Demetrio, the company's lawyer; Daniela, wife of Demetrio; Bruno, the other associate; Fabiola, Bruno's wife; and Carmela and Alba, Esteban's two aunts. Everyone is surprised when they see Maria, and Maria puts in them the doubt and fear when she informs them that throughout twenty years, Patricia's real killer has lived in between them. Maria remarries Esteban so that she can have the love of her sons back, but this will not result because they believe her to be a stepmother that has come to take the place of their mother that they believe dead, and whom they adore due to a portrait of another woman. Plus, Maria has to deal with the intrigues of Esteban's aunts and his associates, mainly Fabiola, whom has always been in love with Esteban and hates Maria. Plus, Maria finds out that Esteban has a third son, Angel, of which Esteban doesn't want to say who his mother is. Angel is a sick young man and insecure, and Maria accepts him immediately and treats him with love.
