Juan de la Cruz, a young seminarian, visits the home of his mother, Ana Joaquina—a religious zealot who has always imposed her will on her son and instilled in him a calling to serve God. Working in Ana Joaquina’s household is Luciana, an innocent, dreamy young woman who falls in love with Juan de la Cruz. One night, swept up in the passion of youth, they give in to their feelings with tenderness and innocence. Upon discovering this, Ana Joaquina throws Luciana out; by then, Luciana is already pregnant with Juan de la Cruz’s child. When the time comes to give birth, she leaves her daughter at a stranger's doorstep, hoping the child will be raised there, but the baby is instead taken to an orphanage. To survive, Luciana becomes involved with a series of unsavory men—including Pedro Trujillo, a brutal man who beats and abuses her.

El Privilegio de Mandar was a successful Mexican political parody broadcast by Televisa on Canal de las Estrellas. It started as a sketch on another Televisa show, called La Parodia, that parodies political, social and cultural events happening in Mexico. High ratings kept the show running. It was first broadcast on October 25, 2004, during La Parodia. Soon, the high success of the program encouraged the producers to separate it from the other show, so on January 3, 2005, it became an independent show. Televisa broadcast what is considered the last episode of the series on July 9, 2006, just after the federal elections in Mexico. However, some of the actors who performed leading roles stated that in a few years, when political events have advanced, they will make a return to see how things are.