Emmanuelle, Sylvia Kristel, travels to Bangkok to join her diplomat husband Jean, [Daniel Sarky], who asks whether she had any other lovers while she was in Paris; she replies that she has not. After a nude swim, Marie-Ange, [Christine Boisson], a young woman, approaches Emmanuelle and later visits her, finding her sleeping and leveraging the moment to touch her. Emmanuelle wakes and they step outside, where Marie-Ange asks if she has any photos of herself and Jean making love. When Emmanuelle says she does not, Marie-Ange pulls a French magazine featuring Paul Newman and begins to masturbate in front of her. Emmanuelle confesses that, though she did not cheat on her husband in Paris, she did have sex with two strangers on the flight over to Bangkok, and Emmanuelle begins to masturbate as she recounts the tryst. That night, she tells Jean about Marie-Ange’s shamelessness, which leads him to encourage her to pursue the friendship.
The next day at a party, Marie-Ange introduces Emmanuelle to one of her lovers, an older man named Mario, [Alain Cuny]. Emmanuelle then notices Bee, [Marika Green], a French archaeologist who stands apart from the expatriate circles. She begins a private conversation with Bee and slips her a bracelet. At Emmanuelle’s insistence, Bee agrees to meet her at the Watsai klong, but once there Bee seems uninterested and tries to return the bracelet; Emmanuelle refuses to take it back. Undeterred, Emmanuelle climbs into Bee’s jeep as she is about to leave for a dig site. Meanwhile, Jean grows angry that Emmanuelle has left without informing him and suspects that her squash partner Ariana, [Jeanne Colletin], is involved. Ariana denies knowledge and offers only consolation sex. After a horseback ride, Emmanuelle and Bee reach a waterfall site where they bathe. At the dig site, Emmanuelle flirts with Bee while she works. The two have sex, but Bee then asks Emmanuelle to leave. Emmanuelle returns home in tears, feeling humiliated. Jean tries to comfort her and suggests she should take another lover.
The next day, Emmanuelle and Ariana attempt to play squash but end up arguing. Ariana seems jealous of Bee, having hoped to be Emmanuelle’s first female lover, while Emmanuelle is upset with Ariana for sleeping with Jean. Frustrated, Emmanuelle decides to meet Mario again, noting that at his age, making love becomes almost an art. At dinner, Mario explains that monogamy will soon die out and that she must learn to let lust, rather than guilt or reason, guide her sexuality to reach higher levels of pleasure. To illustrate his point, Mario takes her to an opium den, where one of the denizens rapes her while Mario watches. He then leads her to a boxing ring, where he convinces two young men to fight for the right to sleep with her. Mario tells Emmanuelle to choose a favorite; the winner satisfies her, and she is aroused by his willingness to fight, allowing him to have sex with her.
Later, Emmanuelle is awakened by Mario, who orders her to change into a back-zipped dress so he can strip her instantly for the next encounter. She protests that she is tired and asks if he will ever have sex with her again; he replies that he is waiting for the “next Emmanuelle.” Emmanuelle sits at a mirror and applies makeup, hoping that following Mario’s instructions will unlock the higher pleasures he has promised.
> "the next Emmanuelle"
