The End of Dreams is a gripping story of love and loss. It is 1864. 18-year-old Meredith McBurnie from Nova Scotia, Canada, works as a proofreader at a literary magazine in Portland, Maine. Her mother, however, has different plans for her daughter. Meredith's brother Liam deserted the Union Army amidst the American Civil War. Her mother is frantic and demands that Meredith go and find him or return home to look after the family.
Since childhood, Meredith and Liam have shared a special bond. Meredith worries about her brother's well-being and fate as an army deserter. It is an impossible task, but she feels compelled to fulfill her mother's wishes and embarks on a dangerous journey that will change her life and the life of her family forever.