Set in South America, the series follows the Trueba family over a fifty-year period, against a backdrop of political unrest, revolution, and magical realism. It centers on the lives of Clara, her daughter Blanca, and granddaughter Alba. Alba attempts to unravel the history of her family and country through the diaries of her grandmother Clara, a woman with clairvoyant gifts. She also navigates the tension between her and the tyrannical patriarch Esteban Trueba. While Esteban clings to conservative power, Alba becomes involved in the socialist revolution, placing them in direct opposition.