Emily is the first love of our main character David; she is the niece of his nurse, the Peggotty, and lives in the ship house in the beach of Yarmouth with her uncle Daniel Peggotty, her cousin Cam and an old woman widow of a matter of the seaman Peggotty, the Gummidge. Emily and Cam were adopted for the good Peggotty when their respective parents died in the sea.

          David met Emily for first time when he and the Peggotty went to Yarmouth just before the second marriage of his mother with Mr. Murdstone. Emily is a little shy girl and from the eyes of the candid boy she is the prettiest one in the world.

          With David she lives the beautifulest times of her life, when they walk in the beach taking conch shells, chatting about the sea, their fathers, the kind Daniel Peggotty, the house of the ship... One of the Emily's excelled conversations is speak about what she would do if she were a rich woman, and with this she show us how she loves her uncle.

          We can see happy times in her life in the wedding of the Peggotty with Barkis the driver of the diligence, a pretty day in the field in a lonely church.

          With the time she is growing as a beautiful young who, even without wanting it, makes everybody love her, and one of these men who falls in love with her is her own cousin Cam. When they tell to the family the new of their future wedding all is gladness in the house. At this moment come in into the ship David and his old friend of the Creakle's school James Steerforth, who would bring the misery and the sadness up to the humil family with his stubbornment of the young lady. With a brilliance without equal Steerforth is admitted in the familiar ambit being admired for all the people of the place. With the help of a "loyal" servant they flee the innocent Emily to Europe, where they are travelling for a time.. When Emily notice that she was wrong in her chosen it was too late, Steerforth, bored of her, had taken a resolution, Emily would marry with his servant. she escaped, and with the help of good persons she met in her way she could arrive to England another time. Here is where she decided not to return Yarmouth ashamed of her behaviour. While, her uncle Daniel was travelling around Europe too, searching his dear Emily.

          In London, Emily was found for Martha, a girl she helped in her village one time when everybody hives her the back, and now is Martha who help Emily, she says David and Daniel Peggotty where they could look for her. After a precipitated meeting (in what Emily falls fainted), Daniel, with Emily and the Gummidge decided to emigrate to Australia where they could build a new future without people who knew their story. On other hand Cam died trying to save Steerforth of the sea.

          The girl remained beside her uncle always.