Rosa Lilia's life has always been marked by death. When she stops breathing at four days old, her mother kneels and begs Christ to bring her daughter back to life. Somehow her prayers are answered, but Rosa Lilia's mother is not destined to be her nurturer. When Rosa Lilia is four, her mother leaves her with her grandparents with the hope she will have a better life. Unfortunately, she could not be more wrong.
As Rosa Lilia embarks on a complicated coming-of-age journey growing up in Ario de Rosales, Mexico, she must endure her uncle's bouts of alcoholic craziness, her mother's countless rejections, and her grandfather's controlling behavior. After she attempts to take charge of her destiny, a scandal destroys her few hopes, compelling her to travel to a new city, where she shares her days with other girls at a boarding house. When she meets a man she hopes will bring her back to life, Rosa Lilia has no idea that eventually his madness will send her on a path she never expected.
Rosa Lilia is the touching story of a woman who must escape from her demons, protect those she loves, and rely on her inner strength to make a life for herself once and for all.