She begins with the story of her upbringing. Janie was raised by her grandmother; her father was never part of her life and her mother had not been around since she was very young. Her grandmother worked hard to give Janie a good life and to ensure that she never felt inferior to the white people. However, as Janie began to develop feelings of love that were new and persistent, her grandmother insisted on a quick marriage to a man who was able to take care of Janie. She married Logan Killicks and lived a life that lacked the feelings of love that had caused her to be brought into the marriage. While her relationship with Logan turned sour, Janie meets a new and exciting man named Joe Starks. Joe was young, smooth and successful, and ready to become a major player in an all-black town forming in Florida. He and Janie got married and started on their way to the town. Upon arrival, Joe took the town by storm and was an immediate leader, becoming the mayor soon after his initial displays of leadership. Joe pampers Janie and gives her a position of honor and respect as the mayor’s wife.
The relationship between Janie and Joe begins to take a negative turn. Joe belittles Janie on a regular basis and while she puts up with it for a while, she eventually stands up for herself and belittles him once and for all in public. This one act of Janie’s completely turns their relationship sour and Joe moves into a different room in the house, refuses to eat Janie’s food, and does not speak to Janie. As this goes on, Joe’s health takes a turn for the worse, but he refuses to see a doctor. Soon after Janie makes a last effort to talk to Joe, he dies. Joe’s death does not really make Janie sad. In fact, she feels rather free. She continues to work at the store and live alone. Because of her beauty and wealth, many men try to woo Janie, but none of them ever get very far.
One day, a man comes into the store and talks to Janie as if they were old friends. His name is Vergible Woods, also known as Tea Cake. He is younger than her and has no money, but he has an endearing charm and treats Janie in a very special way. Slowly, but surely, Tea Cake begins to sweep Janie off her feet and give her the sense of wholeness that she has always wanted. Despite warning from people in the town, along with an inner battle with her own personal doubts and fears about the relationship, Janie leaves Eatonville and marries Tea Cake.
Tea Cake and Janie are extremely happy together and, over time and through a number of choice-questioning events, they grow comfortable and trust in the strength of their relationship. They move to the Everglades and work on the muck together for a season. During the off season, they stay there and Janie becomes friends with a woman who hates her own race and wants Janie to marry her brother. Through some more conflicting situations, Tea Cake and Janie’s relationship grows stronger and stronger. In the second season, a hurricane wreaks havoc on the muck and Janie, Tea Cake, and some of their friends try to escape. While they are running away, Tea Cake gets bitten by a dog while saving Janie from drowning. Eventually, they make it to safety, but return to the Everglades to resume their life together.
Back on the muck, Tea Cake becomes sick and Janie calls a doctor to see him. It turns out the dog that had bitten Tea Cake was rabid and Tea Cake is only given a short while to live. Janie asks the doctor to do anything he can to save Tea Cake. That night, Tea Cake became crazy and tried to kill Janie. To defend herself, she shot and killed the man she truly loved. Janie is put on trial, but is ruled not guilty. After returning to the muck for a short time, Janie returns to Eatonville to finish her life with a wonderful memory of a perfect love.