Gina Falcone and Marcelo Ricciardi are in love; however, fate—and her brother, who disapproves of the union—ultimately tear them apart. Unaware that Gina is carrying his child, Marcelo enters into a marriage arranged by his father to a woman named Elsa. While in hiding at a convent, Gina gives birth to a daughter and names her Fiamma. However, the Mother Superior suggests she hand the child over to the father, and Gina, in the throes of a feverish delirium, agrees. Marcelo marries, and after recovering from pneumonia, Gina retreats to another convent, where she takes her vows and assumes the name Sister Piedad. Years later, Gina learns the whereabouts of her daughter and of Marcelo—now a widower with another daughter named Virginia. She then becomes "The Strange Lady" (La Extraña Dama), a mysterious woman who, at the end of each day, sheds her habit to visit her daughter and the man she has never stopped loving.