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The fascinating world of the Circus,
the secret exchange of infants at birth, and the striking contrast between identical twin's personalities are the three basic
elements that make "Kassandra" an absorbing story from the very beginning.
The action begins 30 years prior to the
actual plot, when a travelling circus sets up on the outskirts of Caracas. Andreina Arocha, the daughter of a wealthy landowner,
is awestruck by the clowns, the wild animals, and a Gypsy fortuneteller who relates wonderful things the future has in store.
Unbeknownst to Andreina, the fortuneteller actually sees a tragic destiny for her and something misterious forewarns that
their paths will meet again. One year later when the circus returns, Andreina has died of a terminal illness after giving
birth to a baby girl. At the same time, Andreina's stepmother, Herminia, an unscrupulous and overly-ambitious woman, discovers
that a Gypsy from the circus and her newborn have tragically died during childbirth. Herminia, who has twin sons froma previous
marriage and wants them to be sole heirs to the Arocha fortune, plots a devious plan and carries it out with the help of a
hired hand. One dark night, he follows Herminia's orders to exchange the infants. In the crib, the lifeless body of the infant
Gypsy replaces Andreina's healthy child who in turn is given to the Gypsies. The next day, the circus packs up and leaves
town.
Years go by. Finally, one day the circus returns and so does Kassandra, who has grown to be a beutiful young
woman. According to Gypsy tradition, the woman who raised Kassandra, her supposed grandmother, promised her hand in matrimony
when she was an infant to Randu, a rough young man who is now the leader of the tribe.
During the first night of the
Gypsies' arrival to town, while Randu dances with his future wife, Kassandra's eyes wander to another man. Their eyes meet
and become locked in a strong mutual attraction. The man who stares is Luis David, one of Herminia's twin sons. Later the
two talk below the starry sky, in the loneliness of the mountainside where they share a magical moment. The following day
however, Luis David leaves town without a word.
Not long after, his twin brother Ignacio discovers that Kassandra
is the true heir to the Arocha fortune and he tricks her into marrying him. The first night of their fateful honeymoon, Ignacio
is mysteriously killed, but Kassandra thinks that he has left her. In an effort to discover his brother's assassin, Luis David
returns and assumes Ignacio's identity. His suspicions fall on Kassandra, the beautiful young gypsy who knew her husband so
briefly and who now believes that Luis David is her husband.
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