Facing bankruptcy, Alaskan gold miner Farley Dean leads a desperate expedition to Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea in search of a fortune that, according to tribal legend, is guarded by giant, maneating crocodiles.
The final member of Farley Dean's “do or die” gold-mining crew arrives on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea. But a reckless decision by Farley divides the crew, puts his leadership in question and threatens to derail the daring mission.
Tension among the crew grows after a rash move by Farley leaves him broken and bedridden. Battling equipment failure, a beached boat and killer crocodiles, the team begins to worry they’ve been dragged around the world on a wild goose chase.
Farley must answer to the island leaders for his team’s poor performance. The boat crew discovers that a crucial miscalculation may have damaged the dredge beyond repair as the Americans desperately chase their first taste of Bougainville gold.
Croc Jim teaches Ian to catch deadly crocodiles. Camp turns hostile when Farley insists, over the furious objections of Captain Todd, that the team attempt a dangerous journey to the upper reaches of the Queens River, risking mutiny in search of gold.
The team’s desperate push up the Queens River finally pays off when Farley leads them to a major gold strike. But a freak accident sidelines the crew and celebrations are short-lived as emergency medical treatment puts the mission in jeopardy.
The crew is finally on the gold, but the island won’t give up its riches without a fight. The threat of a 1,200-pound, maneating crocodile threatens to keep Farley away from the gold zone in a deadly showdown on the Queens River.
With only 72 hours left on the island, the crew goes to war with the deadly monster crocodile. Angry islanders resort to sabotage in an attempt to drive the crew off the island and crush Farley’s dreams of Bougainville riches.