Coronary embolism is an uncommon cause of myocardial infarction. The usual source of a coronary embolus is an intracardiac thrombus or vegetation. Embolisation to the left main coronary artery is an extremely rare event and is usually fatal. We present a case of a 38-year-old woman with embolisation to the left main coronary artery which further embolised distally to the left anterior descending artery leading to a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. The non-occlusive nature of the left main coronary artery embolus might have led to a favourable prognosis in our patient. Copyright 2014 BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.