This semi-biographical novel is about a generation living in Jelgava, Latvia in the 1990s, searching for its identity and living in the vortex of alternative culture. The novel begins on April 5, 1994, with the death of Nirvana lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain. Cobain's death affects young people. Heavy metal starts to be heard in Yelgava. This is also the time when Latvia, after going through economic and social upheaval, was regaining its independence.

The main character of the book, Yanis, decides to live an alternative lifestyle and listen to metallica in those tectonic times. For the Latvian Generation X, this post-Soviet freedom was shocking and unusual. This book is about adolescence, protest against society and the system, and depressing boredom. This novel is also about the influence of hard rock and grunge on the post-Soviet youth.