In chapter one of Jana, the reader meets Jana Odessi, a self-described “twenty-four-year-old white American lesbian” who loses her daycare center job due to her sexual orientation. The novel takes her on a journey of self-discovery across the country with her partner, Danielle. Ultimately, Jana must decide whether she has the strength to return home and fight for her right to be herself. Jana appeals to the LGBTQ audience because it depicts the struggles of young gay people in the mid-1990s with humor and heart.