Beautiful newlywed Emmanuelle (Sylvia Kristel) tires of life in Thailand with her ambassador husband and embarks on a series of sexual adventures. Keen to learn the intricacies of sexual desire, she places herself under the tutelage of the elderly Mario, and starts off down a path which leads her to new heights of physical ecstasy. French President Georges Pompidou tried unsuccessfully to ban this film, which later became a cult and France's all-time top grossing film.