Beauty Queens

Getting the show on the road, Dahlia opens the celebration by revealing the sad truth about the life of her late mother, Tarsila Zamora, the first beauty queen in the family. The sordid tale of loveless marriage sets the stage for how Dahlia grew up to become Miss Universe 1969, why she married a much older man, and how she made sure her first two daughters would follow her formidable.

Dahlia becomes widowed when her first two daughters turned teenagers. Soon, she forces Daisy, her first-born, to join the Binibining Pilipinas pageant against her will. The conservative young lady conquers her fear of parading in a two-piece swimsuit at the Araneta Coliseum en route to victory, eventually winning Miss International in Tokyo. However, Daisy's religious convictions eventually fool the life of glitz and glamour that Dahlia dreamed for her.

As a young girl, Tingting, the middle child, really wanted to become a beauty queen like her mother. However, on her first year on political science student at a state university, she begins to develop passion for activism and changes her mind about pursuing a beauty title. Expressing her disapproval on her second daughter's newfound calling, Dahlia throws a fit and unexpectedly falls ill. Concerned about her mother's well-being, Tingting backpedals and snatches a crown of her own. Her belief in radical politics, however, remains deeply rooted in her life.

Rico, the youngest child, is predestined to succeed Dahlia as president of the family-owned university. However, on his 26th birthday, he comes out to the family as a transwoman named Rica, totally blindsiding Dahlia. Promptly disowned by the Queen Mother, a bitter family rift ensues, causing Dahlia's loyal cousin Anita, who served as a nanny to all three children, to leave her. Although bitterly estranged from her mother, Rice embraces her ambitions and claims an international beauty crown of her own.

As the party drags on, a drunken guest unwittingly spills the secret of Dahlia and her Girl Friday, Percy. Getting the shock of their lives, the unexpected revelation prods a confrontation between the Queen Mother and Rica, which only worsens when Tingting and Precy tried to intervene. As old wounds grow deeper, will Dahlia and her children be able to find it in their hearts to reconcile and forgive?