Corazón salvaje (locally [koɾaˈson salˈβaxe]; English: Wild Heart) was a novel written by prolific Mexican writer Caridad Bravo Adams and published in 1957 after it had been adapted to the screen the previous year.
The story takes place in Martinique, starting in the late 1800s and ending with the 1902 volcanic eruption of Mt.
It describes the life in the Caribbean of a boy who grows up to be a pirate (while his half-brother goes to study in France), and the two sisters who fall in love with him.
Francisco, hiding the fact that Juan is his son, decides to invite him to live at his estate with his family, on the pretext of being a playmate for Andrés.
On his deathbed, Francisco sends for his son Andrés, and while not telling the truth, asks him to care for Juan as a brother.
Juan grows up among the sailors and pirates of the port-city, earning a shocking reputation for dirty business (contraband of liquor), ruthlessness, and harboring unbound loyalty from his men.
Meanwhile, Mónica and Aimée are two beautiful young countesses, daughters of the deceased Count of Altamira, a distant cousin of Sofia de Alcazar.
The only asset of the two young countesses is their nobility and beauty, and the long promise of betrothal between Monica and Andrés.
While visiting Mexico City, Andres meets Mónica's younger sister, Aimee, who is beautiful, flirty and selfish.
Andrés falls completely in love with Aimee, a fact he later shares with his mother Sofia when she comes to visit him.
When Sofia returns home, she informs Catalina de Altamira that Andres has broken the engagement with Monica because he is now intent on marrying Aimee.
With her family's financial ruin in mind, Catalina reluctantly agrees to an engagement between Aimee and Andres.
When Monica discovers that Andres has broken their engagement in order to marry her sister, she is immediately heartbroken.
Andres, who knows nothing about his kinship to Juan and the affair between him and his wife, decides to employ him as the steward of Campo Real, his country estate.
There have been five Mexican productions based on the book, two films and three telenovelas, one of which was made in Puerto Rico.