Born into a humble family of Galician peasants, Carolina Otero, at the age of ten, decides to escape from her home, after having suffered a sexual assault. In her particular search for happiness and success, she travels to countries such as France, the United States or Russia, earning a living as an exotic dancer with the stage name of "Bella Otero". In her eagerness to move up the social ladder, she became the lover of very influential and powerful characters. Her true identity, age and origin still constitute a mystery that she herself was in charge of nurturing.