Caray, Caray!

Romantic and ruthless colonial Mexico is the framework of this passionate love story, burning like the Caribbean sun. In the small settlement of San Fernando they are celebrating the engagement of Camila (Susana González), daughter of Don Justo Darién, and Santiago (Sebastián Rulli), the village's handsome blacksmith. The festival is interrupted by henchmen of Don Jorge Mancera y Ruiz (Juan Ferrera), the tyrannical owner of the encomienda, who has decided to cash in on his "first-night rights"

Ah, it starts already!

• Encomienda from Enclopedia.com: "A system of tributory labor established in Spanish America. Developed as a means of securing an adequate and cheap labor supply, the encomienda was first used over the conquered Moors of Spain. Transplanted to the New World, it gave the conquistador control over the native populations by requiring them to pay tribute from their lands, which were "granted" to deserving subjects of the Spanish crown. The natives often rendered personal services as well. In return the grantee was theoretically obligated to protect his wards, to instruct them in the Christian faith, and to defend their right to use the land for their own subsistence. When first applied in the West Indies, this labor system wrought such hardship that the population was soon decimated."
  
  I guess we could call him a big Mafia-type taxman. When my daughter and I were visiting Koprivchitsa in Bulgaria this summer we visited ancient houses. The fanciest one of all belonged to the taxman.
  
  
• In English we usually use the French "droit de seigneur" since we usually don't do this in English-speaking countries: "A feudal right which allows the boss to have sexual relations with any woman serving in his area who has just married one of his other servants.".

Santiago falls wounded when he tries to keep them from taking Camila away, and she agrees to go with the thugs in exchange for their not killing him. At Don Jorge's house, Camila realizes the man is so drunk that he's fallen asleep without touching her, and she escapes; when she gets to the village they tell her Santiago's condition is very grave and, further, she is forced (by Don Jorge's prideful threats) to keep up the charade that he had possessed her.

A few days later, she is kidnaped by some filibusteros (17th century pirates found in the waters around the Antilles). The captain of the pirate ship, a man known as "El Antillano" (Fernando Colunga), is attracted by her and for a moment has the impulse to protect her from her cruel destiny, but the moment passes and the girl is sold on the Island of La Mariana to Don Timoteo de Salamanca and Almonte (Germán Robles), a bitter old geezer who despises his family and has a Machiavellian plan to leave them in ruin: he will marry his slave and leave her all his money.

[HAH HAH! already this plot is as ridiculous as one could wish for!! - Ed]

Time passes, Camila is widowed and inherits a great fortune. She decides to return to San Fernando and when she arrives is told that everyone thought she had died and that her sister Rita (Maite Embil) has married Santiago.

Soon afterwards she is visted by Ricardo, Timoteo's nephew, whom she recognizes immediately to be "El Antillano." Ricardo recognizes her, too, and feels again this inexplicable desire to protect her. Even though Camila knows that what Ricardo wants is to recover his family's fortune, she also feels an undeniable attraction and soon the two realize they are in love.

It turns out that Santiago still loves her, and up springs a furious rivalry between the him and Ricardo.

[I bet that fortune of hers didn't diminish her charms. - Ed.]

Camila is confused by this first affection that still beats in her heart, but which is now forbidden. At the same time, Ricardo - a man hunted by the authorities - hard and untameable - has woken in her heart a love which grows every day, and her body burns for the first time with the irresistable fire of passion.