The gold mining season begins and newcomer Big Al is off to a great start with a big gold haul. But Bernie struggles with his rookie crew and Ken can't get his sluicer, The Beast, up and running.

A flooding river threatens Ken's gold camp and after a screaming match one of his workers quits. Karl hasn't even started sluicing while Big Al goes after "smart" gold, but his machines keep breaking down.

Ken wonders if his gold camp is cursed while Karl copes with crew mistakes and design flaws in the big machine his Dad built. Bernie packs it in at McDame Creek and moves his whole operation - hoping his luck will change.

Ken blows up at a worker who disappears with a vital piece of equipment, and must decide if he'll fire him. Bernie finally hits pay dirt, but his joy tempered when his son is sick of the non-stop grind. Meanwhile, more breakdowns at Big Al's camp mean he faces a complete shutdown.

Sparks fly when Ken's wife visits the camp and Guillaume has trouble moving The Beast, the giant sluice machine. With the gold season half over, Karl's shot at a big payday is fading fast. And Big Al races the clock to get his sluicer, Big Girl, running again.

The gold mining season is half over and Ken tries to reverse his bad luck by moving across Moose Creek. Tensions boil over as Bernie has to deal with mistakes made by his junior crew. And Karl's night crew is starting to slow him down.