Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy), the prince and heir to the throne of the fictitious African Ruritania-like c ountry Zamunda, is discontented with being pampered all his life. The final straw comes when his parents, King Jaffe (James Earl Jones) and Queen Aeoleon (Madge Sinclair), present him with a bride-to-be (Vanessa Bell) he has never met before, trained to mindlessly obey his every command. Akeem concocts a plan to travel to America to find a wife he can both love and respect and who accepts him for his personality, not his status. He and his servant, Semmi (Arsenio Hall) arrive in Queens County, New York because according to Akeem "What better place to find a queen than the city of Queens?" They rent an apartment in the neighborhood of Jackson Heights. They also begin working at a local restaurant called McDowell's, passing themselves off as students. Akeem falls in love with McDowell's daughter Lisa (Shari Headley), who possesses the qualities the prince is looking for.