Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit

Noli and Anselmo are high school classmates in Laguna who compete to be the valedictorian of their graduating class. Anselmo is groomed with tutors and comfort, while Noli studies at home amid chores and candlelight. When graduation arrives, Anselmo is named valedictorian, highlighting the social divide between them.

Damian, Noli's father, seeks a loan to fund Noli's university studies in Manila. Doña Martina is dismissive of Noli's ambitions and hints she should become a seamstress. After Damian agrees to mortgage the farm to secure the loan, Martina finally consents to provide the funding.

Noli confronts Anselmo, accusing him of graduating valedictorian through Martina's alleged bribery of the school. Martina remains dismissive of Noli's ambitions, urging her to halt her studies. Damian remains resolved to push the loan through to secure Noli's future.

Noli and Anselmo enroll in the same university. Noli excels despite working part-time jobs, washing clothes and waiting tables to support herself. Anselmo teases her about hardship, while his own grades remain mediocre.

Noli learns her father is ill, and Martina uses the mortgage to press Damian for a quicker payoff. A broker offers PHP500 in exchange for relief from the debt, but Damian refuses to give up. Damian dies, and Anselmo offers condolences which Noli initially declines.

Noli halts her studies to contribute to the family by working the fields. Martina controls the irrigation system and arranges traders to buy at low prices for Noli's harvest. She meets Arturo Zulueta, who buys her harvest for a fair price and they begin a romance.

Noli proves to be a capable businesswoman, developing her properties and her growing cattle herd. Arturo gifts her cattle, and she uses jewelry being sold by Martina to finance Anselmo's medical studies abroad. Her success begins to elevate her status among the illustrados.

At a high school reunion, Noli is honored for her achievements while Anselmo is celebrated as the first medical school graduate. The triumph stirs jealousy in Anselmo, who begins a relationship with Margot, Arturo's sister, despite lingering feelings for Noli. The social circle's tensions rise as love and ambition collide.

Noli and Anselmo share a night of intimacy and she discovers she is pregnant. She suggests marriage to Anselmo, but Doña Martina opposes it, hoping to leverage the move to prevent foreclosure. Damian's memory and obligations linger as the family navigates crisis.

Noli decides to marry Arturo, partly to stabilize her future and prevent further loss. Margot ridicules Arturo as a cuckold, inflaming Arturo's rage. In a violent turn, Arturo abducts Noli's child, but a fatal accident occurs and the child survives, leaving Noli shaken.

Noli builds an ancestral home to belong to the illustrados and begins to loosen Martina's control. Martina, ill and bankrupt, seeks forgiveness as Noli considers reclaiming some properties. Martina dies, and Noli arranges the funeral, greeting Anselmo at the wake who arrives with a wife and child; a tense confrontation unfolds.

Time moves forward twenty years to the 1980s. Maggie Zulueta, Noli's daughter, becomes a free-spirited rival to her mother. Jun, Anselmo's son, is hired as a new employee in Noli's business, and he and Maggie fall in love. The family dynamics of wealth, power, and legacy begin to collide.

Maggie and Jun's romance heats up, but Noli discovers they are half-siblings who share a father, Anselmo. The revelation upends the relationship and casts a shadow over the family. The lovers decide to take drastic action to escape the impossible situation.

Devastated by their tragic choices, Anselmo and Noli mourn their losses and come to accept each other's love. In their old age they finally marry, sealing a long, complicated bond that endured decades of hardship, power, and passion.