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Private Notes
It's the start of ginseng season in the Appalachian Mountains and every 'senger from West Virginia to Georgia is looking to get rich off the golden root, but it won't come easy. If they aren't running from game wardens or pot farmers, they're haggling for the better prices from local ginseng kingpin Tony Coffman, who's controlled the ginseng market for years… until now. Corby "The General" Patton just rolled into town and he wants a piece of the action.
Ginseng prices are skyrocketing, and outsiders like Greg Shook are flooding into to West Virginia to cash in, but he quickly learns that locals don't take kindly to strangers. Meanwhile veteran sengers Ron and Obie have to pull their knives to keep a ruthless senger from pulling immature roots, and landowner Mike Ross resorts to guerilla tactics to keep poachers away from his honey hole. And as Tony Coffman's new nemesis Corby "The General" Patton continues to poach his clients, Tony finds himself on the verge of failing to fill the first order of his career.
After failing to deliver the first order of his career, Tony Coffman doubles down on the biggest order of his career–an unthinkable 500 pounds in only one week, or else. He's going to need all the help he can get, but his plan goes to hell when Greg Shook gets trapped in one of Mike Ross's booby traps. And when Corby "The General" Patton poaches Ron and Obie to his team, Tony confronts him with a warning–stay out of his territory, or he'll bury him. Father-and-son team Joe and Mitch Simpson have something way more lethal than words in store for out-of-state diggers. And with his back against his wall, Tony sends his shop worker Wayne Dancy to buy ginseng off some shady sellers in the most dangerous county in America–"Bloody" Mingo County. He'll be lucky to get out with the `seng, and his life.
Tensions in the Appalachian Mountains are about to explode. Greg Shook and his truck get a reminder from the Simpsons, and their guns–outsiders best get out. A deal goes sour for 'senging buddies Ron and Obie, and they come to blows. Tony's only hope of filling an order comes from an unlikely ally, and after Mike Ross uses his tomahawk to send a message to the poachers raiding his family's land–they return with an explosive reply.
Chinese buyers place the biggest order of Tony Coffman's career–750 pounds of ginseng. It will get him rich if he fills it, but with winter rapidly approaching and Corby "The General" Patton billboards popping up all over West Virginia, it's a tall order. And worse, the market is getting a little more crowded with Tennessee moonshiner Tiny Roberson looking to buy up ginseng for his new moonshine recipe. Meanwhile, outsider Greg Shook ventures back into local territory searching for 'seng, but ends up running for his life from local father-son duo, Mitch and Joe Simpson. Ron and Obie put aside their differences and join forces, hoping for one last big score of the season–but they'll have to infiltrate the dangerous, gun wielding pot farmers to get it.
It's the final days of ginseng season, and diggers are risking it all for one last score. Greg Shook rappels down a treacherous cliff face, while Ron and Obie crawl deep into a cave in order to flee armed pot farmers. Landowner Mike Ross makes his final stand to protect his family's land from poachers. And the buyers–Tony Coffman, Corby "The General" Patton, and moonshiner Tiny Roberson–are scrambling to get their hands on as much 'seng as they can, but there isn't enough to go around to all of them.
Tony Coffman starts the season with his big Chinatown Syndicate deal. He's getting fronted money for a massive 2,000 pound order from Mr. Lee. Mike Ross is fighting off poachers determined to get the remaining ginseng on Ross' farm. He gets jacked on the way to deliver to Tony, and all of his ginseng is stolen. Greg Shook and friend EJ cook up plans to go ginsenging on Federal lands and they have to outrun the authorities. Obie Bennett gets pursued by hunters with dogs who are after his ginseng. Corby Patton and his small army of diggers declare war on Tony Coffman.
Mike Ross is out for payback on the poachers who stole his ginseng. With a tip from Rufus, Ross is able to track down the poachers and recover some of what was taken. While camping on private land, Greg Shook's truck is towed away. He and EJ scheme to break the truck out of the impound lot. After Obie Bennett is tracked by hunters into a huge cave, he has to find another way out. Joe and Mitch Simpson negotiate a huge price with Tony to go after an epic honeyhole. After digging up loads of ginseng, Mitch Simpson gets jacked and half of his ginseng is stolen. Raven and Ki, two Kentucky ginsengers, go to work for Corby Patton.
Tony Coffman starts catching heat from Mr. Lee and the Syndicate to step up his deliveries. Mike Ross delivers Tony a piece of evidence he took from the poachers that jacked Ross' ginseng: it's Corby Patton's business card. Tony knows who's behind the robberies. Mike Ross spies on Corby Patton and records the license plates of his diggers. He begins sending a blunt message to all out-of-state ginsengers. After just arriving in West Virginia, Greg Shook is told to keep an eye out for poachers in the woods. While ginsenging, Raven, Ki and Greg have to escape a gun battle that erupts nearby. Ron McMillion goes ginsenging and nearly runs into Obie Bennett, his former partner. When he returns home, Obie finds his ginseng stash has been robbed.
Tony Coffman sends Mike Ross and Mitch Simpson on a mission to clear all the abandoned cabins and runoff out-of-state poachers. They deliver some of the stolen ginseng to Tony. Corby Patton tells Raven and Ki to follow Tony's best diggers to find the ginseng patches. Tony gives Greg Shook a deep-woods ginseng mission that requires a canoe. He winds up over his head when he loses the canoe over a waterfall. Tony gives Obie Bennett a mission to dig an epic honeyhole on former coal mine land. As he enters the woods, he's followed by Raven, Ki and two more of Corby's men.
Tony Coffman has one more day to deliver his midseason total of 1,000 pounds to the Chinese Syndicate. Mr. Lee sends an associate to Tony's office to wait for delivery. Sam Lunsford and his gang intimidate diggers and build their ginseng empire in North Carolina. Mike Ross and Mitch Simpson continue their campaign to flush poachers out of West Virginia. Greg Shook partners with Ewok to navigate the river and find ginseng. Obie Bennett finds the huge honeyhole but has to escape from Raven and Ki. Tony sends an airplane to pick up Obie and return with the huge stash. Greg and Ewok deliver their ginseng and Tony is able to finish his midseason order. Ron McMillion makes a deal with Sam Lunsford to sell out West Virginia's ginsengers.
Tony is in trouble. The rules have changed and Mr. Lee is demanding weekly ginseng deliveries. Tony provides Greg Shook with the location of a local but dangerous honey hole only if he can find a partner to accompany him. Greg calls in his favor from EJ and they head out to battle the elements in search for ginseng but they become separated. Mike Ross heads to Willow's farm to protect her ginseng patch. Poachers use the cover of darkness to steal Willow's ginseng but Mike Ross thwarts the poachers' attempt. Sam Lunsford and his gang begin to grow their ginseng empire with some helpful information from Ron McMillion. Raven and Ki happen upon Corby walking by the side of the road. They go in search of Corby's stolen truck only to discover that lockbox with all the ginseng has been stolen. With no word from Tony's diggers, and the poachers on the offensive, Tony fails to fulfill this week's order.
It's getting late in the ginseng season and only experienced diggers know where to find the golden root. West Virginia outsiders, the Lunsford Gang, confront Obie Bennett and force him to take them to the best honey holes, but Obie's not about to give up all of his secret spots. Meanwhile, after failing to meet an order, Tony Coffman's banking on a prize ginseng root from Rufus to help make amends with his New York Buyer. When Greg Shook and EJ Henderson go on another ginseng hunt for Tony, Greg hopes they can find the bag of 'seng EJ hid from poachers during the night. And, Mike Ross finds and innovative way to protect Tony's friend's ginseng patch.
Just when he's ready to call it quits for the season and accept the fact that he's lost over twenty thousand dollars of ginseng to the Lunsford Gang, Obie Bennett gets a tip about the location of the gang's secret storage spot from an unlikely source--his old partner, Ron McMillion. Also, Greg Shook and EJ Henderson pursue a tip of their own that leads the two of them to an impasse over their moral differences. With three days left to fill the final four hundred pounds of his Chinatown order, Tony Coffman is faced with difficult decisions. Meanwhile, when a group of poachers trespass his farm in the middle of the night, Mike Ross pulls out all the stops and unleashes a deadly firestorm to drive them away.
