It's January in New England, one of the best times to fish the North Atlantic. It's also the prime time for Nor'easters - powerful hurricane-like storms that can create hurricane force winds and waves that top 40 feet. Two trawlers, the Apollo, captained by Shawn Machie, and the Triunfo, captained by John Oliviera, head out from New Bedford, Massachusetts to the rough, but highly profitable, waters of Georges Bank. They are joined by the Portland-based Harmony, captained by Haddock King Dave Haggerty and the Gloucester-based Lily Jean with Gus San Filippo at the helm. It's a race for who can come back to market first with the biggest and most lucrative haul of fish, but the year's first Nor'easter could wreak havoc. All the captains have a strategy for fighting the storm but only a couple boats will make it back to port this trip.

After fighting through the first Nor'easter of the year, two boats - the Triunfo and Apollo - came back to sell their fish at market while the Harmony and Lily Jean took a gamble and kept fishing. Captain Dave of the Harmony finally hits a hot streak and has to time his return to market to get top dollar. Captain Gus of the Lily Jean seems to be stuck under a cloud of bad luck. If he can't make money this trip, he might lose his crew and his boat. While Gus struggles, Captain John of the Triunfo leaves port during the middle of the night - a new strategy he hopes will score him a big haul before the other boats get out to sea. And Captain Shawn of the Apollo takes a big gamble as he heads out to sea with just one generator.

Gus San Filippo, owner and captain of the Lily Jean, is almost at the breaking point and his crew is close to mutiny. He buys a brand new net and hopes that he can finally turn his luck around. Captain Dave is looking to strike it big on his 2nd trip and forces his crew to do a short turnaround at home - only 36 hours - which has them frustrated and burned out. Captain Shawn's gamble to stay out at sea with one generator and a broken boom has paid off, but he faces multiple roadblocks on his way back to port. Captain John of the Triunfo takes a chance on a greenhorn who may not be ready for a life at sea. Which of the Nor'easter Men will end up in the top spot this week? It's anybody's for the taking.