Yes, that could certainly be part of the Plutonian influence/transformation. My descendant is 13 degrees Cap, and I definitely felt the coming influence when it was within the orb you now have. A relationship with someone I thought was the love of my life began to unravel, and it was, up until that point, the most painful experience I'd ever been through. Little did I know. When Pluto was on my descendant, my grandmother died, which brought my cousin and I even closer, which I didn't think was possible because we were already super tight. I'd also had a dream foretelling my grandmother's death. My cousin and I took care of our grandmother during the last week of her life, and that changed me in ways I couldn't have even seen then. Six months later, I had the same dream about my cousin that I'd had about my grandmother. Six months after that, my cousin received a terrible health diagnosis. This was an unimaginable loss. I felt like I was losing my left arm. By the time she passed away, Pluto was at 19 degrees Cap and inching up on my 22 degree Venus in Cap. She has two young children and now they are a central priority in my life (Scorpio also rules my 5th house at least in Equal house).
It's funny because knowing about astrology, before Pluto was conjunct descendant, I was terrified of what might happen during this particular transit. None of what I found online sounded remotely OK. Pluto definitely razed the way this Cancer rising did relationships (and with Saturn now on my descendant, it's time to be crystal clear about my changed needs/desires in one-on-one relating) Weirdly, I feel lighter and healthier now than I have ever felt, and yes, I did go through hell to get here. The time I had with my cousin, including during her illness, is beyond precious to me. A horrible tragedy, which I grieve daily, but one that changed me in some ways for the better. Pluto all the way.
Looking back, that romantic relationship ending felt like a death. At the time, it felt like the worst thing, but it also made me become very in touch with my intuitive abilities, more than I'd ever been. At one point during exact conjunction, I had an epiphany: not everyone walks around with this much minute-to-minute intensity. While it was hard to handle at times, it was also a mystical corridor that I see brought many gifts, not only on the other side, but during.
The standard Pluto advice of face whatever's coming up and "show no fear" helped at times. For me, Pluto is all about peeling back the layers, the freedom to excavate as deeply as possible. I have Pluto in my 4th natally so this lesson changed me in ways I'm still learning about. Also, Caroline Casey's Making the Gods Work for You has an incredible Pluto chapter. I love the whole book, but that chapter was by far the most resonant. She includes a Rumi poem about the chick pea boiling in hot water, and wow, does that speak to Plutonian transformation. Surrender is truly the only way, and man, was it hard for me to get to that place. Much easier to look back and understand why it was necessary.
I'm not sure if any of this is helpful to you, but one thing I wish I got before all this happened: I could not have scripted/expected any of these major changes, especially with regards to my cousin and her children. An astrologer once told me that if I had children, they would always live very close to me, if not with me. I realized he was saying that because the ruler of my 5th is in my 4th. It sounded ominous, but now I realize that the manifestation of that (ruler of 5th in 4th) is the profound responsibility I have to my cousin's children. They're not my children, but they are absolutely of my heart. Using words to describe the connection I feel would be inadequate. I think that's another hallmark of the Pluto influence--beyond words.
Wishing you all the best.