Cassie Nightingale's birthday is drawing nearer. She tells her husband, Middleton Police Chief Jake Russell, that she wants a party with all her friends and family attending. Jake's grown children, Brandon and Lori, will both graduate soon, and Cassie believes this to be the last time everyone will be together. Jake's father-in-law, George, and George's new wife, Gwen, wish to throw Cassie's birthday party at Grey House, the bed and breakfast where they live, but the property has already been reserved for that night. Later, Gwen is shocked to see her estranged son Drew, who is in town to conduct business and to plan his wedding. She loves him, but is unhappy with his inability to take responsibility for his actions. Cassie's friend Martha Tinsdale complains to Cassie that a recent heat wave is causing a sewage spill to stink up her new wedding planning business. Cassie tries to help, giving her special incense to clear the air, which makes the store smell even worse. Then, Drew cancels his wedding plans because he can't pay for it. A page of a contract that he was supposed to sign went missing in the satchel that Cassie gave him and he instead signed away his product. Both he and Martha blame Cassie for her "help". Cassie asks her stepdaughter, Lori, who is a journalism student, to return a library book for her. At the library, Lori sees a book with Elizabeth Merriwick, the "Grey Lady" and Cassie's great-aunt, on the cover. It's the same image as the portrait in Cassie and Jake's living room. Intrigued, Lori reads the book to discover the Grey Lady and Cassie share the same birthday, which is also the day the Grey Lady disappeared, leading people to believe she was abducted. Lori then finds Merriwick's diary in a hidden room of the Grey House. Numerous parallels arise between the dated journal entries and current events, including the heat wave and now a mysterious fire that has broken out in Cassie's store, Bell, Book & Candle, damaging it and the surrounding buildings. Lori worries Cassie might be cursed. Back at the Russells', Mia then discovers the Grey Lady painting has ripped and takes it home to begin restoring it, using her art major skills. Brandon and new girlfriend Tara decide to elope, but rush home when Cassie suddenly faints from dehydration. After making threatening remarks to Cassie, Drew is arrested on suspicion of her store's arson. Gwen doesn't believe her son set the fire and bails him out with the money they were planning to use for Cassie's now cancelled party. The morning of Cassie's birthday arrives and Mia returns the restored painting to Cassie. Drew menacingly approaches Cassie during her walk, but she advises him on relationships and personal responsibility. Two hours later, however, she has still not returned home. A worried Jake also discovers the restored Grey Lady painting is missing. A search for Cassie begins. It appears someone has broken into the Grey House and might still be there. Jake, Brandon, Lori, George and Gwen carefully enter the dark house, where they see Cassie dressed up. She leads the group to the backyard, which she has decorated for her birthday in a Halloween/harvest theme, complete with costumes for everyone. She planned her own party, but it was most important for her family and friends to arrive together. Lori gives Cassie an old book written by Edward Whymark, a pseudonym for Elizabeth Merriwick, who wasn't abducted—she ran away to Texas with sweetheart Andrew Whymark and reinvented herself, living a long and fruitful life. Cassie congratulates Lori on her detective skills and knows she will do great on her journalism project. A masked Drew arrives with the stolen Grey Lady portrait, which he had appraised at the local museum. He tells Mia the museum liked her restoration work so much they want to hire her. Drew also makes peace with his mother, giving credit to Cassie for helping him realize his responsibilities. Meanwhile, it's revealed that a painter's rag, dropped in a cardboard box filled with paper, caused the fire at Cassie's store, not Drew. Brandon and Tara announce they still plan on getting married, but in two years time. Jake is thrilled and dances with Cassie, who is content among her party guests.
Cast
Catherine Bell as Mayor Cassandra "Cassie" Nightingale
In its original airing, The Good Witch's Destiny was watched by 2.82 million viewers. It was Hallmark Channel's most watched original movie to date for 2013 among the network's core demographic, women aged 25–54.
Critical reception
Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media, which informs parents about media choices for their children, gave Destiny a four-star rating out of five, stating, "There are a few tense moments when a character's fate is unknown, but it's quickly resolved and holds no real scares". She added, "This story's meandering pace might be a hard sell for tweens, but if you can get yours to watch with you, you'll find all kinds of talking points about relationships, overcoming challenges, and the value of strong family bonds".
