Contra viento y marea (English: Against All Odds^[1]) is a Mexican telenovela produced by Nicandro Díaz González for Televisa in 2005.

On Monday, April 25, 2005, Canal de las Estrellas started broadcasting Contra viento y marea weekdays at 8:00pm, replacing Apuesta por un amor. The last episode was broadcast on Friday, November 4, 2005 with Barrera de amor replacing it on Monday, November 7, 2005. On Monday, September 12, 2005, Univisión started broadcasting it at 8pm.^[2]

The series stars Marlene Favela, Sebastián Rulli, Adriana Fonseca, Azela Robinson, Kika Edgar, Ernesto D'Alessio, Armando Araiza, Alberto Estrella, Evita Muñoz "Chachita", Beatriz Sheridan. Luis Couturier, Silvia Manríquez and Alexis Ayala.

The telenovela was the last acting role of Beatriz Sheridan, who died in 2006 from a heart attack.^[3]

Natalia Ríos is a lovely young girl who lives with her aunt Inés. Her aunt’s husband, Arcadio, is a shameless man who tries to rape Natalia and ends up selling her into white slavery to a gang of thugs. One of them, Valente, takes pity on the innocent young girl. He saves her and they both run away, but are soon found by the criminals. Valente confronts them to give Natalia a chance to escape and is badly wounded. Natalia is able to get away and goes back to her aunt, only to find her on her deathbed. Inés tells her that, from now on, she must live with Doña Carlota at the home of the wealthy Serrano family. When Natalia arrives at the mansion, Don Teodoro and his daughter Sandra welcome her with open arms, but his wife Apolonia, Doña Carlota’s daughter, treats her with contempt.

Sebastián lives with his adoptive family: Amparo, who has always rejected him; her son Eduardo, who loves and is loyal to Sebastián, thinking they are really brothers; and the grandmother, Doña Cruz. One night, Eduardo is attacked by a drunkard and Sebastián defends him, leaving the attacker unconscious in the street. A street bum who witnessed the fight then robs and kills the man, but Sebastián is blamed for the murder and sent to prison.

Years later, Natalia and Eduardo become friends in college. She is truly fond of him, but only as a friend. Eduardo, however, falls madly in love with her. Sebastián is released for good behavior and meets Natalia during an embarrassing incident where he must defend her from his inebriated friends. Even though they haven’t met again after that first encounter, Natalia and Sebastián cannot stop thinking about each other, and Eduardo and Sebastián do not realize that they have fallen in love with the same woman.

Sebastián is desperate because no one will give him a job, so he decides to try his luck in Mexico City. There, fate brings him face to face with Natalia once more, and they finally confess their love for each other. Natalia promises to find him work at the Serrano family’s tuna cannery, where she herself is employed, and they both go back to Comala. Meanwhile, Apolonia is searching for the illegitimate son she had in her youth and gave up for adoption to Amparo’s husband. Amparo sees the chance to benefit her own child and tells Apolonia that Eduardo is her son. In an attempt to win his love, Apolonia gives him a job at the cannery and decides to make all his wishes come true. When she learns that Eduardo is in love with Natalia, Apolonia does everything in her power to force her to marry him, but Natalia’s love belongs to Sebastián and she will not give in to Apolonia’s pressure.

It is only when Eduardo falls gravely ill and is not expected to live long that Natalia must decide whether she should marry him out of compassion, or be true to her heart and defend her love for Sebastian "Against All Odds".^[4]