As a young woman coming of age in an abusive home in Cuba, Maria Elena dreams of emancipation and vows never to follow in her submissive motheras footsteps. Elena sees marrying Rodolfo, several years her senior, as her only means of escape from her unhappy home. Rodolfo wants a young, moldable wife to fulfill his needs and please his mother with a grandchild. He lures Elena into beginning their married life in the boarding house owned by his controlling mother. Reluctantly Elena accepts, only to be caught in the claws of a macho husband and a web of lies. Under pressure, Elena is unable to conceive. Her life becomes unbearable, so she flees to New York. In that uninhibited land, she struggles to learn English, pursues her independence, and frees herself completely. When true love finds her at last, under dubious circumstances, she finds herself torn between loyalty and happiness.