The protagonist of the novel, Janie Crawford is long-haired African American woman—the product of two generations of rape—who begins the novel as an object of curiosity and past scandal. To her friend Pheoby, she recounts her life story and the quest for love that led to the scandal.

Janie’s ideas of love and sexuality begin when she is an idealistic 16-year-old with a strong desire for physical and emotional connection, as seen in her coming-of-age moment beneath the pear tree. Janie’s grandmother, however, sees marriage as an arrangement designed to ensure security. Nanny pushes her to marry Logan Killicks, a crude but financially secure farmer that Janie does not love. The marriage fails; Janie leaves Logan and marries Joe Starks, a self-important man who convinces her that marrying him would fulfill her desire for adventure. She moves to Eatonville to help him build the new town, but Joe is a deeply patriarchal man with traditional notions of marriage and women. Until her forties, Janie lives an unsatisfied life of obedience and silence, conforming to Joe’s expectations.

Janie finally achieves some degree of freedom after Joe’s death. Janie follows her heart and marries Tea Cake Woods, scandalizing Eatonville.