The "empress" of the titleis Lydia Espana, a Cuban emigrant living in New York City, post-World War II. It is mostly through Lydia's eyes that the city is revealed, and it is through Lydia's story that the difficulties of living as an immigrant in America from the late 1940s into the 1980s are depicted.

Hijuelos tracks Lydia as she attempts to find her way in the city and figure out "how life really works for people without money and connections." She marries and has two children, Rico and Alicia, who embody the world of first generation Americans, estranged from their cultural past, puzzled by the actions of their parents and looking to an uncertain future. The city of New York is full of opportunities and grand possibilities for Lydia, who sees herself as an empress, the name given to her by her husband as he courts...