It's the deadliest job in the world: crab fishing off the Alaska coast in the icy Bering Sea, home of the most violent waters on earth. During the five-day `season', a handful of adventurers will battle Arctic weather, brutal waves, and a ticking clock for a chance at big money in this modern-day gold rush. In this opening episode, it's the first day of work as 1,500 fishermen converge at Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

After a long sleepless night of baiting and setting crab pots, the fishermen anxiously await the captain's call to begin fishing. Each captain has a different theory about how to maximise their catch. The early losers agonise over strategy hoping to make up for a lost catch.

It's hour 42 of the Alaskan king crab season and all of the boats in the fleet have dropped their pots. Every captain feels the pressure. They either find crab today or give up their chance of a profitable season. Cpt Sig Hansen of the Northwestern is nervous about the spot he's chosen to fish and decides to gamble on a new location, while Cpt Tony Larussa and his crew feel the effects of over 40 hours of continuous work.

With less than half a day left in the Alaskan king crab season, all of the crews are racing against the clock to get as much crab into their holding tanks before the season closes at midnight. The Fierce Allegiance has finally landed their pots on some crab, but it will take a lot of crab to cover the operating expenses of the largest boat in the fleet. Elsewhere, Captain Sig's gamble to move his gear has paid off.

It's the dead of winter in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, when the days are just six hours long. The forecast for crab fishing is cold and dangerous, and opilio crab season is about to begin. On a cold, rainy January day, 171 boats begin the long journey up to 450 miles northwest of Dutch Harbor. Shortly after leaving port, smoke and heat are discovered on the Lady Alaska.

The Big Valley has sunk and its crew are still missing. Rescue boats help search for survivors in the frigid Bering Sea.