Marianela vive en un pueblo de la cuenca minera asturiana. Es una pobre muchacha huérfana que fue recogida por una familia de la que sólo recibe malos tratos. Adaptación de la novela homónima de Benito Pérez Galdós.

Marianela is a poor girl with a disfigured face who works as Pablo's guide, a blind young man from a wealthy family. Pablo falls in love with Marianela because of her spirit and vitality and imagines her as the most beautiful woman in the world. When Pablo has the chance to recover his sight, Marianela becomes very sad because she is sure that the young man will reject her when he can see her