La mujer en el espejo explores society's obsession with beauty and how this obsession hurts.
Juliana is the ugly daughter of the beautiful (and extremely vain) Regina, who had once been a fashion model. Regina makes fun of her daughter's homeliness and awkwardness when she is a child and forever shortchanges her emotionally throughout the story. Juliana's kind aunt Mercedes dies and later appears to Juliana to offer her protection and to lead her to the mirror that enables her to appear to be beautiful and glamorous during the day. During the day, Juliana masquerades as "Maritza" and parlays her way into Research and Development at the cosmetic company owned by Gabriel Muti. Gabriel's stepson Marcos falls for her like a ton of bricks, but since she goes back to her homely self after dark, Juliana has to maintain some distance. This stressful situation eventually moves Juliana to wish for a solution... whatever that is.