Jake is the only child born to Joe and Ruth Martin, although they already had Tara and Jeff (Joe's children by his first marriage), Phil (Ruth's adopted son) and Tad (adopted from Opal and Ray Gardner).   He was born in 1979 and went by the name of Joey.

In 1990, Joey (obviously a victim of SORAS - Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome) eloped with Emily Ann Sago, the daughter of former prostitute Estelle Sago and bad guy/pimp Billy Joe Tuggle.  Emily Ann had big emotional problems, largely about sex, but before the marriage could be annulled, Emily Ann discovered she was pregnant.  Joey and Emily Ann gave their marriage an effort, but she miscarried then suffered an emotional collapse and had to be sent away.  Joey left Pine Valley in search of medical degree so that he could follow in his father's footsteps.

In 1996, Joey (now calling himself Jake) returned to Pine Valley.  En route, he met Liza Colby at a country inn, and they found instant chemistry.  She had no idea he was Tad's younger brother, nor he that she had just broken up his brother's marriage.  Jake's relationship with his father suffered when Joe found out that his son had no intention of working in medicine.

Jake took a job at WRCW with Liza, but was devastated when she married Adam Chandler.  By 1998, he was involved with Allie Doyle and kept her secret - that she'd forged her medical school transcripts.  Allie's former lover, Dr. David Hayward, arrived in Pine Valley and tried to ruin Jake by making it appear that he'd almost killed Adam, but the plot was exposed and Jake was saved.  Jake and Liza grew to be close friends, and Allie was unhappy to learn that Jake had volunteered to be Liza's donor at the fertility clinic.  After faking a pregnancy, Allie and Jake broke up and she left town.

Liza became pregnant and assumed the baby was Jake's.  He had promised to stay away from her and the baby and not claim rights to the child, but this changed when he learned she intended to remarry Adam.  No one knew that Adam had switched vials at the clinic, and Liza's baby was actually his, but fearing that the secret would come out, Adam encouraged Liza to name Jake as the father. 

When Colby was born, Jake was delighted and relished his role as father.  He also grew increasingly close to Gillian.  Adam and Jake clashed repeatedly over his role in Colby's life, and Adam became determined to cut him out.  Through careful plotting by David, the secret of Colby's paternity became known to Gillian.  She wanted to search for Jake and tell him, but encountered ex-husband Ryan first.  He refused to let her go off alone, and they set out together, only to be involved in a nasty car accident.  Gillian was seriously injured and lost the use of words, thus preventing her from telling Jake the truth. 

Meanwhile, Liza found out about the sample switch.  She intended to tell Jake the truth, but couldn't bring herself to do it.  Gillian, having recovered, promised to keep the secret of Colby's paternity, and when he asked her to be a family with him and Colby, she accepted his proposal.  They married in June, and Gillian kept the secret despite her increasing doubts.  Meanwhile, Jake became more and more unhappy about Adam's presence in "his" daughter's life, and sued for custody.  he would have been awarded custody, but Liza took the stand and told the full tale of Adam's switch.

Jake was devastated by the loss of Colby, but also by the knowledge that Liza, Gillian and Tad had all known the truth and kept it from him.  He dropped the custody suit, told Gillian he needed time to think things over, and took off for Chechnya in the spring of 2000.

In the summer of 2000 his helicopter was reported missing.  Adrian eventually located him, trying to save 16 orphans from the war.  During his absence, Gillian had reunited with Ryan, and the two were desperate to tell Jake the truth so they could go on with their lives together.  Ryan "borrowed" $3 million from IncredibleDreams.com, and he and Adrian took off for Chechnya to rescue Jake.  Gillian stowed away on the plane, and so was on hand when Jake was located.  Enemy soldiers broke in and Jake took a bullet for Ryan (who then killed the sniper), leaving him in very bad shape.  After a stay in a German hospital, Jake and Gillian, who was unable to desert her husband in that shape, followed Ryan back to Pine Valley.

Gillian tried repeatedly to tell Jake that she wanted a divorce to be with Ryan, but could never bring herself to do it.  Eventually Ryan tired of the waiting game and told Gillian that the affair was over, and she has apparently decided to devote herself to her husband, who wants very much to save his marriage.  Only one problem remains - because of his war injury, Jake is impotent.