Plot Synopsis

APPALACHIAN OUTLAWS is a one-hour reality series that follows growers, diggers and middlemen in the ginseng business in the Appalachian Mountains, which have just the right elevation, rainfall and mineral-rich soil to produce the best wild ginseng in the world. Over-harvesting in Asia has increased demand, pushing prices to an all-time high, and people are rushing to cash in. Deep in Appalachia, there's a war brewing over an ancient crop valued at $1,000 a pound. Supply can't keep up with demand and it's causing fierce competition inside and outside the law. To prevent over-harvesting in the U.S., some states have started regulating where it's legal to pull ginseng, which has made territorial lines even blurrier than before. And with ginseng fever heating up, outsiders are creeping in on local's territory to find it, causing massive turf wars over this heavily revered root.These people are featured in the first season: ginseng buyers and competitors Tony Coffman and Corby Patton, as Corby moves in on Tony's territory; Appalachian ginseng whisperer Rufus Keeney, on whom Tony is depending to help push him ahead of the competition; out-of-state senger Greg Shook, who heads to West Virginia, which has fewer regulations on digging; father-and-son team Joe and Mitch Simpson, who need ginseng to buy ammunition and traps for fur season; Ron McMillion and Obie Bennett, who'll go anywhere and do anything to get their hands on the biggest roots; snake hunters Richard and Nathan Evans, who lead a group of non-traditional ginsengers getting in on the action; and Mike Ross, who resorts to military-style tactics to keep poachers away from prized patches. On Monday, February 2, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT, History premiered the second season of APPALACHIAN OUTLAWS. In the new season, fireworks start in the premiere episode when land- owner Mike Ross gets robbed by poachers in a pre-dawn raid and loses thousands of dollars in pure ginseng. Now, Mike's on a mission to take back what is rightfully his, and that's just the start of this all out hunt over the golden root. The region's top buyer, Tony Coffman, strikes the biggest deal of his life with a Chinatown client from New York City, and to fill this 2000-pound order, he'll need help from his two best diggers, Obie Bennet and Greg Shook, who schemes with EJ. These guys scale cliffs, climb mountains and forge through ice cold rivers to get to the most remote areas where ginseng lives -- all in hopes for a big pay day. Tony Coffman's biggest adversary, Corby "The General" Patton, has set his sights once again on toppling Tony's empire, and to do it, he's brought in Raven and Ki, two of Kentucky's top diggers. They'll soon find out that out-of-state ginsengers aren't welcome in these hollers. But it's the newest buyer in town that wreaks the most havoc. Sam 'Junkyard' Lungsford and his gang of rough diggers aren't afraid to play on the wrong side of the law, and when they descend upon West Virginia, the ginseng scene truly heats up.
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History premiered the second season finale of APPALACHIAN OUTLAWS on Monday, April 6, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT. In the season ender, "Last Chance," with the arrival of winter, there is no more ginseng to be dug in West Virginia; Tony Coffman's last delivery for his New York buyer is almost due and he's in a desperate place; Greg Shook hunts for the remaining roots.