<P> Maria is the leading female character in the film and theatrical version of West Side Story, an adaptation of William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet . </P> <P> Maria is in her late teens when she arrives on the US mainland . Her older brother Bernardo is the leader of the Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks . He has a girlfriend, Anita, who Maria is friends with and looks up to . Maria is eager to start a new life in New York, but Bernardo is protective and keeps a close eye on her . He intends for Maria to marry his friend Chino, but Maria is uninterested . She meets Tony who used to be part of the Sharks' enemy gang, the Jets, at a community dance at the gym . They immediately fall in love . The couple meet several times after (on her balcony, at Anita's shop, and at Doc's, Tony's workplace) before deciding to run away together after the rumble . They are about to leave when Chino shoots Tony for killing Bernardo . Whatever happens to Maria after Tony dies is left a mystery . </P> <P> Maria is based on Shakespeare's Juliet, who falls in love with Romeo after their first encounter, just like Maria did with Tony . </P>

Who falls in love with maria in west side story