Maria Carbella Buenotanco y Valderama, a descendant of a Spanish missionary and a Malay warrior, who died a Christian, has inherited a vast fortune in landholdings and treasures of the East. But even her vaunted wealth and reputed beauty could not hide the truth of her scandalous background.
When the parents of Florendo Medrano denounce his betrothal to 19-year old Carbella, whose mother refuses to grant consent, the lovers are forced to join two revolutions.
Married under the seal of the Philippine Revolutionary Republic and in the belief that only the triumph of both revolutions can validate his nuptial, Florendo defies the American authorities even after orders to lay down arms are proclaimed throughout the Archipelago.
Convicted of treason, only one person can save Florendo; the American officer, whose burning desire is to possess for himself the love and affection of his wife.
Restored to his high social status after one of the witnesses detracts his damning testimony, he begins to dream of building a commercial empire. After amnesty is declared for all political prisoners, Don Florendo advocates statehood for the Philippines, unaware of the growing closeness between his wife and the dashing Major Stewart McQueen.
Can love triumph over desire when all odds are against it?
