MEXICO...
It is harvest time again at the hacienda Casa Blanca; a plantation/ranch known for its fertile acres of land and its quality coffee crop. The workers- known as bean collectors- arrive in droves to begin work. Climbing out of one of the trucks are two women; one dark haired petite and youthful looking woman,Soledad Suarez. The other is a tall, slim and staggeringly beautiful young woman with curly honey-blonde hair; her daughter Teresa but it is immediately noticed that Soledad, the foreman Aurelio and the male co-workers who attempt to flirt with the disdainful young woman address her as 'Paloma' instead. Aurelio warmly welcomes the two women. The hacienda's owner, Don Lorenzo Sanchez-Serrano arrives with his wife, Inez. Don Lorenzo is looking obviously very frail and leans on Inez's arm as they enter the house. Paloma and Soledad interact with the other workers and go about their work but it appears that Paloma wants more out of life than harvesting crops for the rest of her life. Soledad is more of a simple persona.
The next morning, Don Lorenzo is unable to get out of bed and Inez is exasperated by the sound of Paloma's singing from afar but Lorenzo does not seem to mind a bit. Suddenly Lorenzo feels weaker and calls Inez to his side... he is dying. Inez, filled with sorrow, tries to reassure him but Don Lorenzo dies in minutes.
Aurelio solemnly and sadly informs the workers that Don Lorenzo Sanchez-Serrano is dead and the outpouring of grief is great; Soledad especially is very tearful.
One by one; the family is notified. The eldest son, Juan Francisco is in New York when he received word. His son and the son of his younger brother Joachim- Fabian and the handsome Diego- are in England; having a party in their apartment. While Fabian is entertaining their guests, Diego is trying to get amorous with his date in the bedroom but alas, the plane refused to take off (to his acute frustration and embarrassment) so he gets dressed and leaves the room. They too get the news.
Diego's sister, Diana, is making love with her Scottish boyfriend Jeremy Macgregor when she got the message of her grandfather's passing and to her dismay, Jeremy insisted on flying to Mexico with her. Diego's younger sister also received word but unfortunately cannot make it to the funeral as the play she was featuring in was to open the following night.
The family arrive in Casa Blanca for Don Lorenzo's funeral and console Inez. Paloma sees Diego walk by and is immediately fascinated by the handsome young man. At the funeral, Paloma walks to the front of the chapel to lay a flower on the Don's casket and Diego sees her for the very first time; giving her a faint smile in spite of himself.
The will is read out by the family counsel; Jorge. The hacienda is to go to Joachim which would then go to Diego after his death. The coffee exporting company known as El Cafetalero is to go to Juan Francisco, the older son. There are two odd things however; Don Lorenzo also stated that the grandson who bore a son first would inherit both the hacienda and the company. The second was a sealed envelope which he instructed Jorge NOT to open and view its contents until a certain period of time. The family is mystified but they reluctantly have to follow the late man's wishes.
Diego and Paloma become friends when he surprises her and Soledad with a T.V set to watch in their cabin instead of going to the main house to watch telenovelas through the window like they usually did. A co-worker harasses Paloma and Diego breaks up a fight between them. Joachim, who is very protective of his children does not approve of Jeremy; to his discomfort. Barbara, Fabian's official girlfriend hopes he will finally commit to her.
The days go by and Diego and Paloma; after getting to know each other more, realize that they are in love. One moonlit night, they go to the lake, discussing their feelings and plans for the future as Diego has to go back to England with Fabian; while Paloma and Soledad have to drift on. Emotions are high between the couple. Paloma admits that she's never made love to a man. Diego in turn tells her he's never slept with a woman (obviously Paloma is the one woman who actually turned him on).
Paloma, very shy and a little fearful, stands trembling as Diego pulls down the shoulder strap of her dress but does not stop him. Diego then slowly unzips her dress, they kiss and sink to the ground; Paloma unbuttons his shirt and takes it off...
They then made love under the stars; their action punctuated by kisses and caresses then finally, they fell asleep in each other's arms...
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