바다에서 살아가는 바자오족의 부족장 아들인 하산은 육지에서 살아가는 타우수그족 부족장의 조카 발라아마이와 사랑에 빠진다. 하산은 발라아마이와의 결혼을 위해 부족만이 접근할 수 있는 바다에서 진주를 캐 타우수그 부족장에게 바친다. 결국, 결혼 승낙은 받아내지만 육지에서 살아가야 하기에 하산은 바자오족을 떠날 수밖에 없다. 그런 그에게 타우스그족장은 돈을 벌기 위해 진주를 더 구해오라 명한다.

August 1950. The fortunes of three impoverished friends and their families abruptly change after an airplane crashes in a nearby mountain. They rush to the crash site along with all the villagers, not to help the victims but to plunder their valuables. A dead American passenger carried a large amount of money in his briefcase, which Mesiong, Ponsoy, and Jamin find and avariciously keep for themselves. But the town mayor gets greedy and, with his hirelings, abducts the three to divest them of their booty.

Maria and Jose, a young married couple begin life together in an orchard in the countryside. It isn't long until they have four children: Miguel, Arturo, Angelita, and Lito. The eldest, Miguel, is a deaf-mute. Life is good for the family and the children grow up and bring joy to the community. But trouble enters their lives when Jose makes an enemy of Bruno, a widower, much feared in the village.