Epska zgodba in družinska drama spremlja ljudi, ki so iskali srečo in bogastvo v času naftne mrzlice v Kaliforniji na prelomu 20. stoletja. Kronološko niza osebne dogodke iz življenja Daniela Plainviewa. Pred gledalčevimi očmi se odvija Danielova prepričljiva in srhljiva preobrazba iz revnega garaškega iskalca srebra, ki sam skrbi za sina, v samoniklega naftnega mogotca, zaslepljenega od črnega zlata – v tolikšni meri, da v njem nihče, ki mu je blizu, kmalu ne prepozna več niti za trohico človeškega. Med tistimi, ki so hodili z njim ali mu stopili na pot, sta najtežje breme njegove razčlovečenosti nosila njegov gluhonemi sin G. W. ter mladi pridigar Eli Sunday. Slednji predstavlja drugo vrsto obsedenosti in poblaznelosti, ki danes razkraja svet še bolj kot kdajkoli – obsedenost od institucionalizirane vere in resničnega pohlepa, ki ga sprenevedavo prikriva. Ko taka človeka trčita v navzkrižju interesov ter nasprotju ideologij, bo poleg nafte tekla tudi kri.

Meet American fighter pilots and bombers who raided Romanian targets in WW-II including its major oilfields centered on Ploesti and Romanians who defended them. 'Ace' pilot interviews, both American and Romanian, as well as US Air Force prisoners experiences are explored through rarely viewed Romanian archive footage. The documentary is seen through the eyes and words of Nicholas Dimancescu. He journeys back to Romania both to discover his own roots and also to uncover the stories of American and Romanian airmen who raided and defended Romania's oil refineries during World War II. The experiences of wartime 'aces' on both sides are recounted and two of them, once enemies who attacked one another over Romania, meet for the first time 66 years later.