British airline pilot George Taylor (Giuseppe Pambieri) enjoys a night out in Hong Kong with his work colleagues, but ends up in hospital after he gets in a fight with several men. While recuperating, George does his best to woo his beautiful doctor, Miss Wong, but when he is discharged, he hooks up with company secretary Helen (Ilona Staller AKA pornstar Cicciolina) instead. However, realising just how deep his feeling are for Emy, he ditches Helen, and declares his love to the doctor.
George and Emy become a couple and decide to get married. Emy prepares their new home while George is in London working, the pilot promising to keep in touch by mail. However, a bitter Helen intercepts George's letters and tells Emy that her man is in Australia and intends to marry the rich daughter of a sheep farmer. The distraught Emy tries to top herself, is almost raped by a 'friend', and drops out to become a hooker.
Frustrated at not being able to talk to Emy via long distance phonecall, George returns to Hong Kong, unaware that his woman is now walking the streets...
Yellow Emanuelle isn't really an Emanuelle movie: the lead character, played by Chai Lee, is Dr. Emy Wong-there is no Emanuelle. And while the film features the soft-core sex and full frontal female nudity synonymous with the Emanuelle series, the tone is different from the Laura Gemser films, being far more melodramatic and ultimately very downbeat. Despite this being a sexploitation movie, writer/director Bitto Albertini keeps it surprisingly classy, with great cinematography, solid performances and a story that refuses to wallow in D'amato-style sleaze. Despite the copious sex and skin, the film is actually quite moving: you'll despise Helen for hiding Emy's mail, and the film's final scene is remarkably tragic - certainly not what I expected.