Simple and complex strain paths were performed, at room temperature, on an AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel in order to characterize the microstructural plastic behaviour. The results show that, after some amount of deformation (less than 0.30), single twinning occurs in tension and rolling. In complex strain paths (rolling-tension) twinning occurs earlier. The modified Taylor model including twinning was used to elucidate the twinning activity. The orientation of the active slip and twinning planes were calculated for each grain orientation and related to the experimental TEM observations of the dislocation wall and twin orientations, with respect to the tensile axes.