Hot-headed Driller, Brandon Watson, has new marching orders: find a top secret oil reserve and protect it from hungry competitors at all costs. When he tries assembling a crack team, they immediately get off to a rocky start. Plus, a power outage and the appearance a mysterious truck raises suspicions of sabotage.

Tension rises between Cheston and the Wheeler twins, and after a long day of arguing, things get physical. While on his way to a DWI class, Brandon has a run-in with the law, which could land him in jail

The long arm of the law catches up with Brandon Watson, and the Big Dog driller could face hard time. Brandon finds trouble on the job too when a slacker crew sent to help with the rig move mouths off - forcing him to challenge them to an afterhours fight.

Cheston guns for a promotion but his plan ends up backfiring when he finds himself fighting to keep his job; drilling on the rig comes to a stop with the arrival of a competitor's rig; Brandon finds himself in a pickle after a petty incident involving a sandwich mix-up.

Cheston tries to get his job back but Brandon is reluctant to rehire him. Meanwhile, a $50,000 bit goes missing and drilling is shut down, but Oscar has an idea of who took it; and there's an instance of roughneck betrayal that causes problems.

In the most dramatic episode of Black Gold yet, Brandon's demons catch up with him, leaving Aaron Wheeler a victim of a brutal assault. With felony assault charges looming overhead, Driller Brandon Watson is forced to turn himself in to the Federal Marshalls.

Brandon's absence makes things difficult on Rig 28; Josh's rodeo ride could get him tossed from the job; Tank seeks a barroom brawl rematch with Cheston.

A rival driller pays a visit to Oscar and his crew on Rig 28; competition intensifies as the crew finishes the third and final leg of Big Dog's challenge. Later, the remaining roughnecks await news of their long-awaited bonuses.