In the backlands, the drover Ricardo marks the destiny of young Maria. Years later, in Xique-Xique, a mistake between two identical women rekindles passions, separations, and an impossible love.
In love since childhood, Flô and Arnaldo join forces in the fight for the abolition of slavery. They will have to face challenges and prejudices to be able to live their love.
Madalena hopes Pedro will fulfill the promise he made 28 years ago, while political rivalry separates the two families. The arrival of the circus reveals secrets and stirs up the town.
When his father passes away, Estácio and his aunt Úrsula receive his will and are surprised to discover that most of the inheritance was left to Helena, a previously unknown daughter. In the will, her father asks that his daughter be taken in by her relatives. The news infuriates Úrsula, who has been in charge of the family business and caring for Estácio since his mother passed away, and does not accept Helena willingly, seeing her as an intruder in the family. In addition to Úrsula, someone who is not pleased with the girl's arrival is Dr. Camargo (Rogério Fróes), father of Eugênia, Estácio's fiancée. Even so, Estácio obeys his father's request and takes the girl to live with his family. Helena has a cheerful and outgoing temperament and her arrival affects everyone's lives. At first, she is hostile to Úrsula, but later wins her sympathy.
The cheerful and outgoing Jordana lived alongside Silas for 20 years, helping him become wealthy. Despite this, he abandons her to run away with the opportunistic Carla. After the separation, Jordana faces financial difficulties. She then meets Dona Mena, an eccentric and lonely old woman abandoned by her family. Jordana takes care of Dona Mena and, when she dies, inherits four bronze cupids containing a million dollars. The problem is that the cupids disappear without a trace. The cupids become the subject of a fight between Dona Mena's nephews, Loreta and Carlito. The two are the villains of the story. Jordana, however, ends up falling in love with Carlito. In the final chapters, Jordana manages to recover the cupids and rebuild her life. She has the help of her friend Vieira.
The telenovela revolves around the family dramas and corporate power struggles of two rival families. This rivalry dates back many years to when Arturo Montenegro and Eládio Gómez Luna vied for the love of the beautiful Ana Laura; ultimately, it was Eládio who married her. Years later, Ana Laura is deeply unhappy, enduring her husband's abuse and cruelty; her only solace is the love of her son Federico, who is the complete opposite of his father. Meanwhile, after being widowed, Arturo married the frivolous Nina, with whom he had three children: Rogelio, Ana Karen, and Paulina. Arturo is so consumed by his business affairs that he fails to notice the humiliations Nina and her children—Rogelio and Paulina—inflict upon Pedro, his son from his first marriage.