Plot Synopsis

Mark Allen Johnson uses unorthodox methods to enter some of the most extreme, violent and hard-to-access subcultures in the country -- from drug manufacturers to the sex trade to theft rings -- and then investigates these highly secretive, underground worlds. Securing the trust of his subjects alone can be a deadly business, often requiring months of negotiations, and he sometimes ventures into these clandestine cultures blindfolded and separated from his crew. The three episodes are: "Drugs," which focuses on homemade drug manufacturing, which takes place in kitchens across America -- from a crack cocaine business in Los Angeles to a shake 'n' bake meth production lab in rural Tennessee to a steroid producer who uses raw ingredients sent from secret foreign suppliers; "Theft," which highlights a car theft ring in Northern California that can turn a stolen car into $7,000 profit in 24 hours, and a veteran identity thief who shows how a waitress "skims" customers' credit card information onto a hard drive to be used later to make easy money; and "Sex Trade," that tells the stories of the world of pimps in Chicago and Washington DC, one girl who makes a six-figure income from high-class liaisons in five-star hotels, and a Texas man who has three girls living with him, working as strippers to support a lavish suburban lifestyle.