Kenny Wells (Matthew McConaughey) is a struggling businessman who inherited his father's mining company. His company is virtually bankrupt, and he can barely afford to keep his employees. One night, he has a dream in which he gets a vision of a massive gold mine located in Indonesia.
Believing his dream to be a sign, he sets out to find a partner who can invest in his mission. Through a chain of events, he meets geologist Michael Acosta (Édgar Ramírez), who is intrigued by Kenny's story and agrees to join him on his mission.
Together, they travel to Indonesia and enter into a partnership with some local miners. After months of hard work and struggle, they finally strike gold - the biggest gold nugget ever found.
However, their joy is short-lived when they realize that they don't have the money to start mining the gold. Kenny tries to secure funding from numerous sources, but faces numerous setbacks and betrayals which nearly destroy their partnership.
Their situation becomes even more complicated when they discover that some of their partners are working with the Indonesian military to take over their mine. With the help of political and legal allies, Kenny and Michael fight back to save their mine and their newfound wealth.
In the end, the partnership between Kenny and Michael proves to be stronger than any obstacle, and they succeed in excavating the gold and becoming instant legends in the mining industry.