[1][2][3] The novel begins on April 5, 1994, the death of Kurt Cobain, the lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana.

[2] Cobain's death influences youngsters living in Jelgava, Latvia to begin listening to heavy metal music.

[4] This is also the time that Latvia has recently regained its independence from the Soviet Union, causing economic and social upheaval.

The book's main character Janis turns to the alternative lifestyle offered by an emergent heavy metal scene.

[5] Since 2016 the original book ‘’Jelgava 94’’ has already been translated into 11 languages – French,[6] Slovenian,[7] Norwegian,[8] Estonian,[9] Hungarian, Lithuanian,[10] English, Bulgarian,[11] Spanish, German and Finnish.