Lyddie wants to get her farm back so that she can reunite her family.

When Lyddie first learns about the factory, she finds it hard to believe that a factory girl can make so much money.  Then she gets fired from her tavern job, so she goes to work for the factory.  At first, she is not interested in anything except making as much money as she can.  She wants to get her family back together.  In order for that to happen she has to get her farm back.

When her mother left her, it was a big blow to Lyddie.  Her father was already gone and for a while she and Charlie had the farm, but then her mother hired her out.  As soon as she could, she had a dream of seeing her mother, little sisters, and brother back together.

When Lyddie learns that her littlest sister Agnes has died, she feels the dream slipping away.

She must work harder. She must earn all the money to pay what they owed, so she could gather her family together back on the farm while she still had family left to gather. The idea of living alone and orphaned and without brother or sister‐a life barren of land and family like Diana's . . . (Ch. 12)

Things get even worse for Lyddie when she learns that her mother is being put in an asylum and the farm is being sold.  When her uncle tells her this, she is shocked.  Her uncle tells her that her father gave him permission to sell the farm before he left.  To Lyddie, it seems as if her entire world is falling apart.

She could hardly keep her mind on her work. What was the use of it all anyway if the farm was gone? But it couldn't be! Not after all her sweating and saving. (Ch. 15)

Lyddie always felt that all she would have to do was get enough money, buy the farm, and everyone would come.  It didn’t happen.  She writes to her brother Charlie, telling him what happened.  He comes, but he doesn’t try to stop the farm’s sale.  He takes Rachel with him, because the family he lives with can take care of her.  It seems Lyddie’s dream is gone after all.