陈玉燕十三岁时,父病逝,母为还债改嫁,燕则寄居王婶家.王婶的儿子志雄与燕青梅竹马,可算是燕最快乐的日子,可惜雄举家搬走,燕无奈搬往母处.燕拒后父逼婚,离家出走.后为筹钱医母,嫁予垂死富家子,入门即守寡,结果被视作不祥人而遭驱逐.

　　燕重遇童年好友王志雄,二人结合并生一子国华.雄不幸因工丧命,燕独力抚养儿子.华病重,燕惟有当舞女赚钱.华中学毕业,获奖学金出国留学,却苦无旅费,燕不惜卖肉以遂华愿.华学成归来,与同学欧美玲订婚,玲父得知燕底细,执意反对婚事.燕谎称华非亲子,然后寻死而去.华感动,决寻回母亲,玲亦说服父亲回心转意.燕在众人劝说下终放弃寻死,与家人团圆.

Yuk Yin's father dies and her mother remarries to settle the debts. Yuk Yin lives with Auntie Wong. From then on, Chi Hung, Auntie Wong's son and Yuk Yin live and play together. But the Wongs move away. Yuk Yin stays with her mother. Her stepfather is mercenary. When Yuk Yin grows up, he pushes her to get married to get money. Considering her daughter's future, Yuk Yin's mother sends her away. Yuk Yin works in a restaurant. When she learns that her mother is ill, she marries a dying rich young man to get money for her mother's treatment. After her mother's death, Yuk Yin gets married immediately, but her husband dies on the wedding night. Her mother-in-law sees this as unauspicious and expels Yuk Yin. Later, Yuk Yin chances upon Chi Hung. They are still in love. They married and have a son Kwok Wah. But Chi Hung dies. Yuk Yin works as a dance girl to support their living. Kwok Wah grows up and cannot accept his mother's job. But soon he understands that she is respectable.