JD Perkins is a fourth-generation cotton farmer managing an operation covering six thousand acres that includes his own farm, his father David's farm, and his father's best friend and business partner Cletus Clark's farm. After oil was discovered under the farms in the 1970's the families did not necessarily need to depend on cotton anymore however it was important to JD's grandfather to keep the farm running and in most years it is profitable. When not dealing with the headaches caused by his father and Cletus, JD is balancing the raising of three teenage children with his wife Julie. An unexpected death results in a family crisis causing JD's life to spin out of control leading to the break-up of his marriage. While starting to rebuild his life a discussion with his father about the future of the farm leads JD to explore growing another crop that had never occurred to him was viable to grow in west Texas. With all that is going on in his life he deals with a shady lawyer, a crooked DA, a racist judge, an aggressive state politician, and learns some very surprising secrets about his children.