In the previous film, Bailey reunited with his longtime owner Ethan after being reincarnated as a new dog. Now a
St. Bernard/
Australian Shepherd, Bailey lives with Ethan, Ethan's wife Hannah, Gloria (the
widow of Hannah's son and Ethan's stepson Henry), and her 2-year-old daughter C.J. on their farm in
Michigan. Gloria's suspicious nature leads her to move out with C.J.. Shortly after, Ethan discovers a tumor in Bailey's stomach. Before Bailey is
euthanized, Ethan asks him to take care of C.J. once he is reincarnated again. Nine years later, Bailey, reincarnated as a female
beagle named Molly, sees a now 11-year-old C.J. with her best friend Trent Mahoney and his parents, who are adopting the former's brother Rocky. Molly runs outside to C.J., who secretly adopts her. Gloria reluctantly allows C.J. to keep Molly to compensate for her neglectful parenting. C.J. and Molly grow increasingly close over the years, along with Trent and Rocky. Now a teenager, C.J. tells Trent she wants to drop out of high school and move to
New York City with her deceased father Henry's insurance settlement to become a musician. C.J. begins to date a boy named Shane, who Molly distrusts. Attending a party that gets busted by police for
underage drinking, C.J. is sentenced to community service where Molly learns how to
detect cancer. Days after she breaks up with him, Shane assaults C.J., prompting Molly to bite him. While drunk, Gloria responds nonchalantly to C.J.'s distress and reveals she spent all of Henry's settlement money, prompting C.J. to leave town with Molly. On the way out, they are stalked and tail-ended by Shane, which causes her car to flip, killing Molly. Molly is reincarnated as a male
English mastiff named Big Dog, who lives with a convenience store owner in
Pennsylvania. One day, C.J. visits the shop and is lovingly greeted by Big Dog. He mistakenly believes that C.J. recognizes him, is heartbroken when she leaves without him, and spends the rest of that life missing her. Big Dog is reincarnated as a male
Biewer Terrier named Max, who is adopted by C.J.. While C.J. is working as a dog walker, Max detects Trent's scent down the hall and pulls her toward his door. C.J. and Trent reconnect with each other. Max is eager to reunite C.J. and Trent, despite each of them being in live-in relationships of their own, and the fact that Rocky is gone. Max intentionally misbehaves around C.J.'s boyfriend, Barry, after which they break up and C.J. moves out with Max. They stay with various friends of C.J.'s before Max spots Trent and his girlfriend on the street, and Trent offers his guest room to C.J.. Remembering how to diagnose cancer during his life as Molly, Max signals to C.J. that he detects it on Trent, and C.J. urges Trent to see a doctor. The doctor confirms, and Trent begins
chemo. His girlfriend leaves him, so C.J. becomes his primary caretaker. Once Trent is cancer-free, he urges C.J. to accept a meeting with Gloria, who is sober. Gloria tearfully apologizes for her abusive nature and gives C.J. some of the things sent from Ethan and Hannah. They inspire C.J. to write more songs and to perform, overcoming her longstanding
stage fright and beginning her musical career. Trent encourages C.J. to go on a road trip with him and Max to her grandparents’ farm, where she reunites with Ethan and Hannah for the first time since she was a toddler. Ethan recognizes Max as Bailey and tells C.J. of the dog's reincarnations, proving it by having Max perform a trick that only Bailey would know. C.J. and Trent then confess their love for one another and praise Max/Bailey for reuniting them. C.J. and Trent marry, and shortly after C.J. releases her first music album, they have a son named Saint. Gloria reconciles with her daughter and in-laws, reuniting the family. Ethan dies of old age, surrounded by Max and the rest of his family. Max later ages and dies as well. The final scene shows Bailey running through a grassy field, morphing backwards through his previous incarnations, before crossing the
Rainbow Bridge and reuniting with Ethan in heaven. ==Cast==