diff --git a/emacs/notmuch-show.el b/emacs/notmuch-show.el
index b0f2d28b..5015d2ae 100644
--- a/emacs/notmuch-show.el
+++ b/emacs/notmuch-show.el
@@ -468,7 +468,10 @@ message at DEPTH in the current thread."
       ;; invisible U+200E LEFT-TO-RIGHT MARK character which forces
       ;; the header paragraph as left-to-right text.
       (insert (propertize (string ?\x200e) 'invisible t)))
-    (insert (notmuch-show-spaces-n (* notmuch-show-indent-messages-width depth))
+    (insert (if notmuch-show-indent-content
+		(notmuch-show-spaces-n (* notmuch-show-indent-messages-width
+					  depth))
+	      "")
 	    from
 	    " ("
 	    date
diff --git a/test/emacs-show.expected-output/notmuch-show-indent-thread-content-off b/test/emacs-show.expected-output/notmuch-show-indent-thread-content-off
index 1a06374d..0bb58330 100644
--- a/test/emacs-show.expected-output/notmuch-show-indent-thread-content-off
+++ b/test/emacs-show.expected-output/notmuch-show-indent-thread-content-off
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ Cheers,
 [ application/pgp-signature ]
 [ text/plain ]
 [ 4-line signature. Click/Enter to show. ]
- Mikhail Gusarov <dottedmag@dottedmag.net> (2009-11-17) (inbox signed unread)
-  Lars Kellogg-Stedman <lars@seas.harvard.edu> (2009-11-17) (inbox signed)
+Mikhail Gusarov <dottedmag@dottedmag.net> (2009-11-17) (inbox signed unread)
+Lars Kellogg-Stedman <lars@seas.harvard.edu> (2009-11-17) (inbox signed)
 Subject: Re: [notmuch] Working with Maildir storage?
 To: Mikhail Gusarov <dottedmag@dottedmag.net>
 Cc: notmuch@notmuchmail.org
@@ -57,9 +57,9 @@ It doesn't look like the patch is in git yet.
 [ application/pgp-signature ]
 [ text/plain ]
 [ 4-line signature. Click/Enter to show. ]
-   Mikhail Gusarov <dottedmag@dottedmag.net> (2009-11-17) (inbox unread)
-   Keith Packard <keithp@keithp.com> (2009-11-17) (inbox unread)
-    Lars Kellogg-Stedman <lars@seas.harvard.edu> (2009-11-18) (inbox signed unread)
+Mikhail Gusarov <dottedmag@dottedmag.net> (2009-11-17) (inbox unread)
+Keith Packard <keithp@keithp.com> (2009-11-17) (inbox unread)
+Lars Kellogg-Stedman <lars@seas.harvard.edu> (2009-11-18) (inbox signed unread)
 Subject: Re: [notmuch] Working with Maildir storage?
 To: Keith Packard <keithp@keithp.com>
 Cc: notmuch@notmuchmail.org
@@ -79,4 +79,4 @@ missing "#include <stdint.h>" (for the uint32_t on line 466).
 [ application/pgp-signature ]
 [ text/plain ]
 [ 4-line signature. Click/Enter to show. ]
- Carl Worth <cworth@cworth.org> (2009-11-18) (inbox unread)
+Carl Worth <cworth@cworth.org> (2009-11-18) (inbox unread)