Julia Lindsay's introduction to Oakdale was through Jack Snyder. Julia met Jack on a train to Chicago and they struck up a friendship. While in Chicago, Jack helped Julia escape her controlling fiancé and they started to become attracted to one another. Julia followed Jack back to Oakdale and started staying with his family.

Their happiness wouldn't last long, though. Julia was kidnapped by David Stenbeck and became involved in the cover-up of his "death." Unable to deal with the guilt, she turned to tranquilizers and eventually sought help with psychiatrist, Reid Hamilton. Julia became very close to Reid and ended her relationship with Jack because Reid said it was unhealthy. Seeing how involved Jack was in his old girlfriend's life, Julia pushed away from him and grew closer to Reid. Julia later was shocked to discover that Reid was none other than David Stenbeck!

After months of being manipulated by Reid and her mother, Julia decided to turn her life around and pursued a new career in journalism. Julia was finally becoming an independent woman when Jack started dating her again. Wary at first, Julia gave in to Jack and the two married. Unfortunately, Julia was still insecure about Jack's feelings toward Carly. Then to her horror, she discovered that SHE was the reason Carly was forced to leave town since she was the one who told Winston Lowe all about Carly. Unfortunately, David knew Julia's secret and Julia was forced to help David escape from prison, in exchange for his silence. Eventually, Julia told Jack the truth and he forgave her. However, even though she had his forgiveness, she was still convinced that he was in love with Carly and so, to hold on to Jack, Julia got herself pregnant, even though she knew Jack didn't want kids right away. Unfortunately, Julia lost the baby when Jack confessed that did still have feelings for Carly. Distraught and, desperate to hold on to Jack, Julia did whatever it took to get Carly out of their lives. Truly obsessed, Julia lied and manipulated in order to ruin Carly's life. Finally, in sheer desperation, Julia decided the only way to get rid of Carly was to make sure she was kept poor and so Julia killed Carly's prized horse, Flashdance. Disgusted by what she'd done, Jack forced Julia to check herself into a mental hospital to get help. Not long after, Julia granted Jack a divorce.

Despite her willingness to give Jack a divorce, Julia was still determined to get him back. Believing that without Carly, Jack would finally be hers, she convinced one of the patients in the hospital to kill Carly. However that backfired horribly with Barbara Ryan getting hurt instead. More demented than ever, Julia took matters into her own hands and escaped from the institution and headed straight for Carly. Blaming Carly for everything, Julia dragged her and planned to kill her on the plot of land that Jack bought. Jack quickly located them however, and stopped her from killing Carly. Defeated, Julia was dragged away by the police.

Months later, Julia was mysteriously released from the hospital with the help of James Stenbeck and headed right back to Jack's. More deranged than ever, she held Jack hostage and drugged him. Blaming Jack and Carly for all of her problems, she decided that she was at her happiest when she was last pregnant and attempted to seduce him to impregnate herself. Though she tried to seduce Jack, it was obvious that he was disgusted by her, so Julia resorted to injecting a tied-up Jack with Viagra in order to get him to perform. Successful, Julia decided that Jack was more trouble than he was worth and started thinking up ways to get rid of him. Than she was suddenly discovered by Craig Montgomery! Though Craig appeared to be on her side (even supplying her with the perfect way to dispose of Jack), Julia wasn't fooled and knocked him unconscious before dragging Jack out of the house. Spurred on by Jack's pleas that she had to settle things with Barbara, Julia went to see her before driving a tied-up Jack to the bottom of the river. At Fairwinds to see Barbara, Julia tried to apologize for the pain she'd caused. To her surprise, Barbara forgave Julia and offered to help her. However, when Barbara betrayed her by calling the police instead of calling James, Julia decided she had to get out of town fast. Forcing Barbara to drive her to the middle of nowhere, Julia got out of the car and gave Barbara a gift to give to Jack -- a positive pregnancy test!

Later that year, Julia returned to town with a baby, Jack Jr., claiming that he was Jack's. Though the paternity test confirmed this, later it was discovered that the child belonged to neither Jack nor Julia and was returned to his biological parents.