Greenland's arctic climate means the country's mineral resources have been trapped deep beneath the ice for tens of thousands of years. But climate change is melting the ice and exposing new ground making it possible to prospect for gold, precious stones and minerals. 6 total strangers from across the United States set out on the mission of a lifetime to Greenland's stark and sometimes brutal landscape. Barely 24 hours into the 12-week mining season they face a disastrous delay and leader, Ray, discovers mining in Greenland is more of a challenge than he thought.
The miners realize Greenland's harsh environment is a monumental challenge. Their equipment isn't good enough, they've found nothing but rocks on the claim, plus a long and dangerous prospecting trek thru Greenland's infamous polar bear territory creates tension that spills over and threatens the whole mission. Ray begins to wonder if he's done the right thing.
The mining team faces another setback when their excavator can't dig deep enough to get to the gold; Ray faces a hard-bargaining Greenlander who owns the biggest digger on the island.
Christian faces a crucial skills test on a 38-ton excavator and digs down to the blue clay layer that Ray hopes will be the key to the team finding a fortune; Elley and Christian do some prospecting and find the biggest piece of gold so far.
Ray and Elley face a grueling trek to a neighboring claim site; Erik, Kimberley and Tiffany rebel after their attempt to set up the sluice is an epic fail. Erik challenges Ray's leadership, which divides the team and has devastating consequences.
With Greenland's harsh winter fast approaching, Ray and his team are halfway through their 12-week mining season; as each member of the team thinks they have found the right spot for the biggest gold haul, a crucial weigh-in has surprising results.
Kimberly and Tiffany get a rare chance to contact loved ones back home; Christian and Elley follow a hunch that there's better gold on a neighboring claim; Ray and Erik embark on an adventure of a lifetime to a reindeer station.
Ray must build a crucial piece of mining equipment; Erik and Christian head to a neighboring claim where the promise of bigger gold is hard to resist; Elley goes in search of other minerals.
Greenland's winter threatens the team's gold mining efforts; as an Arctic storm rolls in, the miners stay, brave it out and follow their dreams; Elley returns to a frosty welcome from the team but plans to win them over.
Ray's super sluice is finished, but moving it into position poses huge challenges; in a mammoth test of skill and endurance, the team transports it across treacherous terrain; they are rewarded when Greenland finally gives up more of its gold.
Ray and his team come to Greenland with dreams of finding a fortune; against the odds, they build up their mining operation from scratch and finally run pay dirt and find gold when Greenland's weather stops them in their tracks.
In the final week of the season, the team battles the remnants of Hurricane Larry and is determined to risk everything to continue mining; Ray embarks on one last expedition that could make their dreams of finding a fortune come true.