End of the Road Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for End of the Road (1970). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Jacob Horner, played by Stacy Keach, has just earned his master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and steps from the graduation into a pulsing montage of 1960s upheaval. Images surge by—Kennedy’s assassination, civil rights protests, campus unrest, and the escalating Vietnam War—until he reaches a train platform and collapses into a catatonic stupor. The moment is fragile and shocking, a hinge between personal doubt and a wider social chaos.
James Earl Jones steps in as Doctor D, an unorthodox psychiatrist who sees through the silence to wake Jacob from his trance. He transports him to the Institute of Psychic Remobilization, often called The Farm, a bizarre asylum where therapy means enacting fantasies rather than simply talking about them. Inside, the atmosphere is clinical yet uncanny: a cross-dressing Nurse Dockey Ray Brock and other peculiar patients embody the extremes of desire and fear. There, Jacob is subjected to a regimen that blends harsh physical discipline with audiovisual experiments, a stark contrast to the calm, orderly world he once imagined. Before discharge, Doctor D makes a blunt prescription: find a place in society, but avoid personal or political engagement. With Jacob’s background in English literature, the recommended path is teaching prescriptive grammar at the local college.
Back on the outside, Jacob finds lodging in an abandoned factory and experiences a brief, unsettling fling with Peggy Rankin, a lonely, aging woman. Peggy Rankin, played by Grayson Hall, becomes a complicating thread in his new life. On his first day at the college, Jacob befriends Joe Morgan [Harris Yulin], a charismatic Boy Scout leader whose charm masks a darker, more controlling temperament. Joe invites Jacob and his wife Rennie Morgan [Dorothy Tristan] to dinner, and the dinner scene quickly reveals Joe’s manipulation: he seems to push Jacob toward an affair with Rennie and then cajoles Rennie into a horseback ride.
Rennie and Jacob’s clandestine affair soon changes the dynamic at home. Rennie becomes pregnant, and she tells Jacob about the pregnancy with Joe’s knowledge and René’s own fear—she does not want to leave Joe, and she threatens suicide if forced to terminate or abandon the marriage. Joe becomes furious and insists that Rennie obtain an abortion, pressing Jacob to arrange one. Faced with no easy options, Jacob tries to contact an abortionist he knows, but time runs out. Desperate, he takes Rennie to The Farm, where Doctor D oversees an unsafe abortion. The procedure is chaotic and dangerous: a curette is used, Rennie convulses under anesthesia, and she chokes to death as her mask slips.
The aftermath is stark. Jacob, deeply shaken, wraps Rennie’s body and with Doctor D disposes of it in a lake, a grim act that seals the unraveling of the life he is supposed to rebuild. The closing credits run as the Apollo 11 moon landing broadcasts fill the screen, paired with President Nixon welcoming the astronauts home—an eerie, cold counterpoint to the personal tragedy that has just unfolded.
Throughout, the film threads a quiet, unsettling mood: a young man’s search for meaning clashing with a world that asks him to silence his own voice, a modern-era fever dream where ideas about art, morality, and control collide in a sequence of stark, often brutal, moments. The result is a long, immersive meditation on responsibility, power, and the limits of psychiatric “remedies” when confronted with the messy truths of human desire and consequence.
End of the Road Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of End of the Road (1970) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Graduation and platform walk
Jacob Horner graduates from Johns Hopkins University and walks straight from the ceremony to a nearby railway platform. The moment is intercut with images of the 1960s' upheavals, hinting at the turbulent world he will soon inhabit. The scene marks a turning point from academic achievement to a murky, unsettled future.
Catatonic shock on the platform
At the train platform, Jacob slips into a catatonic state and becomes unresponsive to everyone around him. Strangers try to reach him as the era's upheaval flickers around him. His silence signals a fracture between his education and the world he is about to enter.
Doctor D awakens him and arranges transfer
Doctor D finds Jacob and manages to wake him from his stupor. He decides to take Jacob off the platform and transport him to The Farm, a controversial clinic he runs. This encounter launches Jacob into a troubling system of care.
Arrival at The Farm and therapy debut
Jacob arrives at The Farm and is introduced to an unorthodox therapeutic regime. The clinic encourages patients to act out fantasies as a form of therapy, and a cast of eccentric residents is presented, signaling the moral ambiguity of Doctor D's methods. The clinic's atmosphere is unsettling and coercive.
The Farm's harsh treatment
Treatment at The Farm includes physical punishment and audiovisual experiments that push Jacob to confront his psyche. The sessions are brutal and disorienting, challenging conventional notions of therapy and care. The experience underscores the clinic's ethical murkiness.
Discharge and job instruction
Before discharge, Doctor D instructs Jacob to re-enter society with a purpose. He advises that with his English literature background, Jacob should teach prescriptive English grammar at a local college. He also warns him to avoid personal or political entanglements as part of his recovery.
Lodging in an abandoned factory
Jacob secures lodging at an abandoned factory, beginning a fragile, makeshift existence. The bleak space mirrors his disconnection from academia and stable life. He creates a minimal routine within the harsh surroundings.
Brief fling with Peggy Rankin
Jacob has a brief, companionship-seeking fling with Peggy Rankin, a lonely older woman. The encounter offers him a temporary escape from his unsettled life. It also highlights the loneliness that threads through the story.
First day at the college; meeting Joe Morgan
On his first day teaching prescriptive English at the local college, Jacob befriends fellow teacher Joe Morgan. Joe initially appears supportive but soon reveals a darker side, showing abusive behavior toward his wife Rennie. The day sets in motion a partnership that will threaten Jacob's ethics and safety.
Dinner with Rennie; affair begins
Joe invites Jacob to dinner with his wife Rennie, where he subtly goads Jacob into an affair with Rennie. He also pressures Rennie to join him on a horseback ride, further entwining the lovers. The dinner marks the start of a dangerous, escalating liaison.
Spying and unsettling discovery
Jacob and Rennie return to the Morgan home and spy on Joe, who is masturbating to Shakespeare's works and appears to conceal a gun in his pants. Rennie is deeply upset by the revelation and the affair deepens their sense of peril. The moment underscores the moral and physical danger surrounding them.
Pregnancy and abortion plan
Rennie reveals she is pregnant and confesses the affair to Jacob, with her husband present. She states she does not want to leave Joe or terminate the pregnancy, threatening suicide if forced to carry to term. Joe insists that an abortion be arranged, setting a crisis in motion.
Abortions attempts and trip to The Farm
Jacob tries to contact an abortionist but cannot secure an appointment in time. With no options left, he takes Rennie to The Farm under the pretense of seeking help. The coercive pressure of the facility becomes a central obstacle to Rennie's autonomy.
Unsafe abortion; Rennie's death
At The Farm, Doctor D performs an unsafe abortion, inserting a curette and causing Rennie to convulse in pain. She chokes to death as the anesthesia mask fails to keep her sedated. Jacob and Doctor D stand stunned as the tragedy unfolds.
Disposal of Rennie's body
After Rennie's death, Jacob wraps her body and, with Doctor D, dumps it into a lake. The act closes the immediate tragedy but leaves Jacob with lasting guilt. The film's final imagery juxtaposes Apollo 11's moon landing with Nixon's welcome home.
End of the Road Characters
Explore all characters from End of the Road (1970). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Jacob Horner (Stacy Keach)
A recently earned English MA from Johns Hopkins who collapses into a catatonic state after graduation. He becomes the focal point of Doctor D’s unorthodox treatment and is drawn into a morally fraught path as he navigates manipulation and desire. His intelligence and sensitivity clash with a world pushing him to conform or disappear.
Joe Morgan (Harris Yulin)
Rennie’s abusive husband and a domineering figure who manipulates Jacob into an affair. He embodies a controlling, aggressive masculinity that destabilizes the domestic sphere and fuels the couple’s turbulent dynamics.
Rennie Morgan (Dorothy Tristan)
Wife of Joe, drawn into an affair with Jacob and emboldened by a desperate sense of self. Her pregnancy and confrontation with Joe reveal a fraught moral landscape, culminating in a deadly confrontation with the abortion attempt.
Doctor D (James Earl Jones)
An unorthodox psychiatrist who runs The Farm, advocating act-out therapy and employing coercive, experimental techniques. He pressures Jacob to abandon personal or political engagement and administers unsafe procedures that have catastrophic consequences.
Peggy Rankin (Grayson Hall)
A lonely, older woman who forms a brief, fraught fling with Jacob. Her presence highlights yearning and the search for connection amid a chaotic social landscape.
End of the Road Settings
Learn where and when End of the Road (1970) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Time period
1960s
The story is set against the social upheaval of the 1960s, including Kennedy-era turmoil, civil rights protests, and Vietnam War protests. It tracks a trajectory through the decade, culminating in late-1960s imagery such as the Apollo 11 moon landing, which frames the film’s closing mood.
Location
Railway platform, The Farm (Institute of Psychic Remobilization), Local college, Abandoned factory, Lakeside
The narrative unfolds across a string of concrete settings that mirror the protagonist’s descent. It begins at a busy railway platform before plunging into the surreal confines of The Farm, a controversial institute where therapy becomes theatrical. Jacob also inhabits a bleak, abandoned factory and spends time at a nearby college campus, with moments by a quiet lakeside that contrast the surrounding chaos.
End of the Road Themes
Discover the main themes in End of the Road (1970). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
🧠
Mental Control
The Farm uses therapy as a means of control, forcing patients to enact fantasies rather than heal. Jacob’s awakening is shaped by Dr. D’s remobilization doctrine, illustrating how authority can mold a vulnerable mind. The film probes the ethics of psychiatric experimentation and where care ends and coercion begins.
⚖️
Ethics & Exploitation
Abortion, sexual manipulation, and power dynamics reveal the fragility of consent under coercive conditions. Doctor D’s methods cross medical and legal lines, turning private pain into a public display. Rennie’s fatal outcome underscores the human cost of unchecked authority. The narrative questions whether any end justifies morally compromising means.
🌐
Societal Upheaval
Set against the 1960s’ public unrest, the film uses broad social turmoil to reflect intimate disintegration. Jacob’s decline mirrors a nation grappling with ideals, conformity, and rebellion. The ending montage ties personal catastrophe to a broader historical moment, suggesting a world that keeps moving forward even as some lives unravel.
End of the Road Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of End of the Road (1970). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In the moments after receiving his graduate diploma, Jacob Horner finds himself on a bustling train platform, the world around him suddenly detonating into a rapid collage of 1960s turmoil—war, protest, and political assassinations. The onslaught overwhelms him, leaving him suspended between the promise of a new future and a lingering, almost prehistoric echo of collective trauma. The film opens in this fragile liminal space, setting a tone that feels both intensely personal and starkly reflective of an era’s unsettled conscience.
When Jacob slips into a catatonic state, he is taken to the Institute of Psychic Remobilization—affectionately known as The Farm—where Doctor D, an unconventional psychiatrist, presides over a regiment of therapies that blur the line between discipline and performance. The institute’s atmosphere is clinical yet uncanny, populated by figures such as the cross‑dressing Nurse Dockey, whose presence hints at the institution’s willingness to subvert conventional norms in pursuit of psychological “remobilization.” Here, treatment is less about conversation and more about enacting fantasies, creating a disquieting blend of harsh physical routines and experimental audiovisual stimuli.
Released back into the world, Jacob is nudged toward a modest life teaching prescriptive grammar at a local college, a path that seems designed to keep him safely within the margins of society. Yet his new existence quickly intertwines with a cast of eccentric acquaintances—Peggy Rankin, an aging woman who offers a fleeting, unsettling companionship, and Joe Morgan, a charismatic community leader whose magnetic charm conceals an unsettling edge. Through these relationships, the film explores how Jacob’s quest for meaning collides with an environment that pressures him to mute both personal ambition and political engagement.
The mood throughout is one of measured anxiety, a slow‑burning surrealism that mirrors Jacob’s internal disorientation. By immersing viewers in a world where the ordinary is constantly rehearsed against a backdrop of historic unrest, the story invites a meditation on the limits of control, the weight of responsibility, and the uneasy balance between societal expectations and individual desire.
Movies with Similar Twists and Themes
Uncover films that echo the narrative beats, emotional arcs, or dramatic twists of the one you're exploring. These recommendations are handpicked based on story depth, thematic resonance, and spoiler-worthy moments — perfect for fans who crave more of the same intrigue.
Featured on this page
What's After the Movie?
Not sure whether to stay after the credits? Find out!
Explore Our Movie Platform
New Movie Releases (2026)
Famous Movie Actors
Top Film Production Studios
Movie Plot Summaries & Endings
Major Movie Awards & Winners
Best Concert Films & Music Documentaries
Movie Collections and Curated Lists
© 2026 What's After the Movie. All rights reserved.