Set in the plains of Los Llanos, this melodrama features a courageous, beautiful and strong-willed woman who must rise above heartbreak, betrayal and tragedy. Her troubled past haunts her, as she confronts her own deep-seated vulnerabilities in the face of an impossible love. She falls passionately for a dashing man and must face her memories head-on. She must fight to keep her secrets from destroying her chance of happiness, fulfillment and true love.[2] "The best stories feature strong women," says the show's English trailer. "This is the story that started it all.[3]
Plot Bárbara is an attractive woman raised mostly on the rivers of Venezuela, by her riverboat captain father. Her mother was an Indian woman, now deceased. She was madly in love with young Asdrúbal until tragedy smashed everything. Some of the men who worked for her father steal their boat and kill her father. The bandits then rape her and shoot her boyfriend. This causes her to hate men, but at the same time sleep with them to get what she wants. She becomes involved with Lorenzo Barquero, the owner of a cattle ranch, with whom she becomes pregnant and has a daughter named Marisela. She later steals Lorenzo's home and fortune and kicks both him and their daughter out, leaving them to fend for themselves with absolutely nothing.
Santos is the only remaining son of the Luzardo family, who had a feud with the Barqueros. He returns to his hacienda, Altamira, planning to sell it. But he decides to stay and try to make it profitable again. He soon discovers that Bárbara, who uses her powers of "witchcraft" and seduction to impose her will, controls the region. Undeterred, Santos sets out to save his cousin Lorenzo and to educate young Marisela. Bárbara and Santos fall in love but he becomes disillusioned with all the violent and bad things she's done. He later he realizes he loves Marisela. After Santos leaves her the ravens that Juan Primito gave food to in el Miedo suddenly die. This is because Santos' relationship would slowly begin to change her. Then, Bárbara finds out that she is pregnant. Because of her mother's pregnancy, Marisela breaks it off with Santos. "El Sapo" (Bárbara's last enemy) has come back to destroy her. Marisela has become engaged to Gonzalo who was an insurgent rebel against a repressive Government and a friend of Santos. But power corrupts Gonzalo and he's jealous of Marisela's feelings for Santos. Santos finds out about the engagement when he goes to San Fernando to confirm it. Barbara's hacienda was attacked by El Sapo; and, in the struggle to defend her home, she lost the baby. She tries to pretend to still be pregnant to get Santos back, but he found out by tricking her into taking a blood test. He then kicks Barbara out of his house. When Marisela goes back, Altagracia tells her that Santos knows that Barbara lost the baby. Marisela had known she'd lost the baby but was keeping quiet because she thought her mother's mental health was fragile. Santos is upset Marisela didn't tell him about this and he tells Marisela to leave and never come back because she has lied to him. Marisela has decided to stay with Gonzalo in order to spy on him after finding out that he and "El Sapo" are allies in drug trafficking. Meanwhile Santos has realized his mistake and now wants Marisela back. Now, the fear caused by "El Sapo" is bringing Barbara and Marisela back together once more to destroy "El Sapo" once and for all. Barbara finally kills the last of her five rapists. The other four had been killed in gruesome ways earlier in the telenovela. Barbara leaves Santos and Marisela to be happy together and goes to live on the river. She ends up dying of malaria ten years later. Santos and Marisela have married and have three children.
- Edith Gonzalez .... Bárbara Guaimarán - main heroine
- Christian Meier .... Santos Luzardo Vergel
- Génesis Rodríguez .... Marisela Barquero / Young Bárbara Guaimarán -
- Maritza Rodriguez .... Asuncion Vergel de Luzardo
- Marcelo Cezan.... Florencio Quitadolores
- Andrés Ogilvie-Browne .... Juan Primito
- Jencarlos Canela .... Asdrubal - Barbara's boyfriend from her youth
- Katie Barberi .... Cecilia Vergel
- Arap Bethke .... Antonio Sandoval
- Paulo Quevedo .... Balbino Paiba
- Roberto Mateos .... Lorenzo Barquero
- Raul Gutierrez .... Coronel Pernalete
- Lucy Martinez .... Eustaquia
- Ivan Rodriguez .... Melecio Sandoval
- Martha Isabel Bolaños.... Josefa
- Alberto Valdiri ...Mujiqiuita
- Juan Pablo Shuk .... Gonzalo
- Amparo Moreno....Casilda
- Daniela Tapia .... Gervasia
- Lucho Velasco.... Melquiades el Brujeador
- Mimi Morales....Altagracia
- Alejandra Sandoval .... Genoveva
- Pedro Rendon... Carmelito
- Gary Forero... León Mondragón
- Roberto Manrique ....Maria Nieves
- Andres Ogilvie Browne....Juan Primito
- Paula Barreto ... Luisana Requena
- Bibiana Corrales ... Melezia
- Adriana Silva ... Josefina
- Jimmie Bernal .... William Danger
- Andres Martinez... Tigre Mondragón
- Tiberio Cruz... Pajarote
- Esmeralda Pinzón ... Federica Pernalete
- Gabriel Gonzalez... Doctor Arias
- Guillermo Villa... Padre Pernia
- Oscar Salazar... Mauris Requena
- Felipe Calero
- Naren Daryanani ... Onza Mondragón
- Herbert King
- Humberto Arango
- Hernan Mendez
- Hermes Camelo ... El Chepo
- Julio Pachon
- Jaime Correa
- Alejandro Muñoz
- David Noreña
- Enrique Poveda
- Nicolas Votteler
- Nicolas Niño
- Edgar Durane
- Errssell Marca
- Xilone esperanza ... guest appearance
