This roman à clef catalogues the amorous intrigues of Barnes' lesbian network centered in Natalie Clifford Barney's salon in Paris.

[1] "[A] Pioneer and a Menace" in her youth, Dame Musset has reached "a witty and learned Fifty";[2] she rescues women in distress, dispenses wisdom, and upon her death is elevated to sainthood.

Also appearing pseudonymously are Élisabeth de Gramont, Romaine Brooks, Dolly Wilde, Radclyffe Hall and her partner Una, Lady Troubridge, Janet Flanner and Solita Solano, and Mina Loy.

[3] The obscure language, inside jokes and ambiguity of Ladies Almanac have kept critics arguing about whether it is an affectionate satire or a bitter attack, but Barney herself loved the book and re-read it throughout her life.

In 2013 the Berlin artist Lena Braun published a novel called "Ladies Almanach" in homage to Djuna Barnes.