Emma Woodhouse, aged 20 at the start of the novel, is a young is a young, beautiful, witty, and privileged woman in Regency England.

As the novel opens, Emma has just attended the wedding of Miss Taylor, her best friend and former governess.

Having introduced Miss Taylor to her future husband, Mr. Weston, Emma takes credit for their marriage, and decides that she rather likes matchmaking.

She greatly overestimates her own matchmaking abilities; she is blind to the dangers of meddling in other people's lives, and her imagination and perceptions often lead her astray.