Emma Mae is a sympathetic portrait of a young black woman from the South and her difficult adjustment to life in the big city. After the death of her mother, Emma Mae (Jerri Hayes) travels by bus from Mississippi to Los Angeles, her rough country edges on full display. She possesses an extraordinary ability to beat down anyone who disrespects her or those she loves. While Emma Mae's proficiency in kicking ass echoes that of the super-mama heroines that populated other character-named films of this Blaxploitation era, she is not presented as an impossibly glamorous vixen. To the contrary, her plain looks and shy demeanor seem to necessitate her physical and emotional strength, particularly when dealing with those who mistakenly underestimate her. It is as if Emma Mae can tap directly into a wellspring of black women's latent powers in order to protect and serve her own.