En nombre del amor

"En Nombre Del Amor" is the story of Macarena (Victoria Ruffo) and Carlota (Leticia Calderón), sisters who endured a lot of pain, loneliness, and shame, because they fell in love with the same man, Juan Cristóbal Gamboa (Arturo Peniche). The unhappy love triangle had enormous influence on their adulthood, leaving them both virgins, considered abnormal for their age. Carlota deceived both Macarena and Cristóbal, telling each other had died. As a result, Cristóbal fell in love with Natalia (a friend of Paloma's adoptive mother), but soon became haunted by his past which resulted in him leaving Natalia standing at the altar on their wedding day.

At the same time we follow two other characters - Paloma (Allisson Lozz) and Romina (Altair Jarabo), who are best friends who know each other since they were children. Their relationship goes through many of the typical difficulties of youth and at some point, they even become rivals because of their first love.

After losing her parents Javier (Eduardo Capetillo) and Sagrario (Bibi Gaytán) in a tragic car crash (during which they were returning from Cristóbal and Natalia's short-lived wedding), Paloma is forced to move in with her two maiden aunts, Macarena and Carlota. Macarena is loving, kind and she establishes a very close and warm relationship with her niece. Carlota, on the other hand, has an authoritarian temper and cruel intentions. It seems that she enjoys making Paloma's life miserable. But both aunts keep a family secret that could change Paloma's life forever.

When Paloma meets Iñaki (Luis Hacha), she believes he is her first and only true love. Iñaki is the son of divorced parents Alonso and Carmen. He is also the stepson of Natalia (the same Natalia that Cristóbal refused to marry years ago), who had married Alonso and had a daughter with him that Natalia named Sagrario in memory of her friend. Soon, Paloma makes plans to marry him, but her aunt Carlota does whatever she can to break up their relationship. Paloma and Iñaki at first plan to run away to Spain, but after Paloma has a nightmare about Macarena dying, she convinces Inaki to take her back to Real del Monte. Still, the two suffer a car accident, and Paloma's life is saved when Emiliano (Sebastian Zurita), a friend of Inaki's donates his blood to Paloma. Macarena thanks Emiliano for doing that and says he's like a guardian angel. Although Paloma believes that Carlota does not want her to marry Inaki, Carlota tells Paloma that she has her permission to marry him.

However, after Paloma and Iñaki are released from the hospital, they have a party to celebrate their upcoming wedding. Carlota bought belladonna and poisons Inaki with the belladonna in his cup during the champagne party. He becomes increasingly sick the next day when the wedding is supposed to take place. Once Emiliano informs Paloma about this, she is hysterical and Emiliano takes Paloma to Inaki's house, where Inaki dies with Paloma at his side. After this tragedy Paloma thinks she will never find love again. But then Emiliano appears in her life to change it for the better. Emiliano and Paloma fall in love, but the problem is he is Romina's boyfriend and also the object of Carlota's hatred, which makes their love impossible.

Later on, Arcadia (the maid of Inaki's family) calls Carlota, tells her she suspects her of killing Inaki, and blackmails her into bringing her money. One night, Carlota and Arcadia meet on a road where Carlota gives Arcadia the money. Then she kills Arcadia by hitting her with her car, throwing her now-lifeless body off the road. Some time later, Cristobal (now a priest) comes to Real del Monte and after having a conversation with Paloma one day, he discovers Macarena is alive, and meets her in the hospital. After a tearful reunion, this causes relations to sour between Carlota and Macarena where during one argument, it is revealed that Paloma is Macarena's real-daughter. Paloma learns about this revelation and gets mad at Macarena and initially leaves home, but later returns and accepts the truth.

Macarena and Cristobal continue to spend time together until eventually, one night Cristobal proposes to Macarena. Macarena accepts his proposal and Cristobal then plans to leave the priesthood. However, during a phone conversation between the two one day, Carlota learns of their plans and gets very angry with her. An enraged Carlota pushes Macarena through a window-like glass on the second floor, and Macarena falls to her death immediately. Doctors attempt to save Macarena's life at the hospital, but she eventually succumbs to her injuries from Carlota pushing her and dies with Paloma and Cristobal at her side. Paloma later wants to know who her real father is, but Carlota hires an actor to pretend to be her real dad, and when Paloma falls for Carlota's lie, she becomes very doubtful.

Romina in the meantime, has been cheating on Emiliano with her enemy Lilliana's boyfriend German Altamirano, and even becomes his lover. She begins to deceive Paloma after catching her kiss Emiliano one day on the street. When Romina becomes pregnant with German's child, she deceives everyone by saying Emiliano is the father. Romina gets a DNA test taken to see who her unborn baby's father is, and allies with Carlota to alter the results so that she can marry Emiliano. It is successful, and Paloma is torn away from Emiliano because of this and believes she will never find love again. Emiliano in the meantime, is forced to marry Romina, and on the day of the wedding, Romina almost suffers a miscarriage but is saved in time by doctors. The nuptials are done on the bed Romina is laying on, and Emiliano coincidentally agrees to be Romina's husband, although he wishes he hadn't.

In the meantime, Paloma meets a man named Gabriel Lizarde, who saves her life after jumping off a church balcony. He introduces her to art, and soon becomes her paint teacher. Paloma also meets Gabriel's father Eugenio, who is a lawyer. Soon the two develop a sudden attraction for each other, much to Emiliano's jealousy as he tries constantly through the novela to win her heart again. Gabriel has a serious heart condition and might die anytime soon, but hides his illness from everyone, especially Paloma. Later on when Inaki's father Alonso receives a letter from Arcadia's niece, he reads it and it is from the late Arcadia who said she suspected Carlota of murdering Inaki. An angeredd Alonso kidnaps Carlota and attempts to poison her to death with his belladonna. When he is almost successful, Carlota escapes from her hostage place. Despite her dazed state, she hits Alonso in the head with a stick and then pushes him towards the path of an oncoming truck, which runs over Alonso killing him.

Carlota frames Cristobal and Natalia for the crime. They are jailed in a prison in Pachuca and Cristobal is expelled from the priesthood. During Cristobal's stay, his long-lost mother Madeline Marcell Gamboa visits and Cristobal is not too happy about seeing her since she abandoned him as a kid. After Cristobal and Natalia are proven innocent of murder, they are released from prison, where Cristobal returns to the priesthood eventually. Cristobal and Madeline have a tearful reconciliation after Cristobal learns why Madeline abandoned him as a kid, and the two develop a mother and son bond.

Emiliano's mother Diana had an affair with Orlando Ferrer in the past. Orlando is Emiliano's boss, and although Rafael was believed to be Emiliano's real father, Orlando later reveals to Emiliano that he is his real father sending Emiliano into a state of disbelief. But soon, he accepts the truth. Romina's mother Camila dated Rafael Saenz for some time, but soon leaves him for Orlando Ferrer and marries him. However, after Camila discovers that Orlando cheated on her with his former girlfriend Angelica, she threatens for divorce. Still, Orlando says the divorce will take a year to be finalized.

Romina gives birth to a baby son, but soon Emiliano begins to doubt that Romina's child is his and he wants a divorce, but Romina will not have any of it. Emiliano eventually leaves Romina, finding his place to live, and soon tells a doctor he wants another DNA test. Paloma and Rufi (the house servant) eventually plan to leave Real del Monte with Dr. Bermúdez. Carlota shoots him before they can leave and thus, they are forced to stay at Real del Monte once more. In the meantime, Samuel (Romina's father) attempts to rob Camila, but is stopped by Rafael who saves her from him. Then Samuel is arrested and is sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Madeline soon meets Paloma and becomes convinced that she looks almost like she did when she was young and asks Cristóbal to find out if he is Paloma's real father. After finding out that the man Carlota had hired to pretend to be Paloma's father is not her real one, the two confront Carlota and Cristóbal finally confirms to her that the actor she hired is not Paloma's real father and that he is her real father. One day while in church, Cristobal and Paloma meet and he tells her he is her real father and the two tearfully embrace. Paloma soon learns from Cristóbal about how Carlota deceived him and Macarena when she was alive and Paloma finally decides she has had enough of Carlota's domineering-self and her lies and eventually leaves home with Cristóbal and Rufi.

Paloma and Gabriel have fallen in love, but yet Paloma can't forget her feelings for Emiliano. They plan to get married soon. Carlota tells Eugenio she wants Paloma to come over to her house for a little "meeting" and Paloma reluctantly agrees to go to Carlota's house. There, things go out of control and Carlota tries to kill Paloma. While doing so, she confesses every crime she ever did. After finding out Carlota killed Iñaki, especially Macarena, Paloma is shocked and scared and calls Carlota a murderer. She tries to save herself from Carlota and at this time Cristóbal, Rufi, Eugenio and Gabriel break in through the back door. Carlota tries to push Paloma over the stairwell, but Paloma ducks and Carlota ends up going over the stairwell herself and is knocked out unconscious. A shocked and saddened Paloma tells everyone about the killings Carlota confessed to and tells them she killed Iñaki, Arcadia, Alonso, Macarena and Dr. Bermúdez. Still, Eugenio reveals that Dr. Bermúdez is alive and in witness protection.

Carlota is taken to a hospital, where she pretends to be paralyzed. Officers are outside her hospital room, ready to take her to prison the minute she leaves. Romina in the meantime, becomes depressed, leaves her baby with Camila, and leaves Real del Monte. While car racing with another guy, she gets into a car accident and is almost killed, but luckily, the Fire Department saves her in time. After this traumatic experience, Romina becomes a full-time mom, eventually signs Emiliano's divorce papers and gives him his freedom.

A few days before the wedding between Paloma and Gabriel is to take place, Gabriel learns that he has only one month to live due to his heart condition. On the wedding day and in front of the guests, Gabriel tells Paloma he can't marry her due to his illness, and Emiliano steps in Gabriel's place as the groom. Gabriel approves this, knowing that Paloma has loved Emiliano for some time. Cristóbal is the reverend at Paloma and Emiliano's wedding, and Paloma and Emiliano are finally married. In the aftermath of the wedding, Carlota arrives, having escaped from the hospital, pulls out a gun, and attempts to kill Paloma, but Gabriel gets in front of Paloma and is shot in the chest two times. He dies in Eugenio's arms, Paloma and Emiliano. Cristóbal and the other priests chase Carlota to the roof of the church. When Carlota tries to shoot Paloma again, Cristóbal stops her, Carlota slips and falls from the church to the ground, seemingly dead.

Various days later, Cristóbal becomes a bishop. Carlota survived the fall but is in a wheelchair, half-paralyzed, and spends the rest of her life in a women's prison for all her crimes. Romina and Germán end up together as one happy family with their baby. Camila and Rafael are together, happy as ever, and so are Orlando and Angélica. The soap opera ends with Emiliano and Paloma by the Real del Monte fountain, re-enacting the time they said they loved each other before finally sharing a kiss.

• En nombre del amor at IMDb