Barbarita Guaimaran, the daughter of the captain of an old ship that transported goods, grows up surrounded by poverty and unhappiness, educated by an Indian woman after her mother’s death. Her first love - Asdrubal, a young, educated adventurer, hired by her father to be part of the crew, and her father are cruelly murdered by the rebelled crew and Barbarita is brutally raped.
Through the years, Dona Barbara, known as «man eater», with the deep hatred she has built against men, becomes very powerful in the region and owner of a huge hacienda. In a twist of fate, she gets to know Santos, lawyer and owner of the neighboring hacienda. Challenging life and love lessons will be learned by both of them.