In the early years of the 20th century, Daniel Plainview is an oil prospector. Based on information sold to him by Paul Sunday, he travels to Little Boston, California and begins to buy land, starting with the Sunday's farm. He wants to buy up all of the land in the area and smooth talks the locals into selling by promising that he will build roads, schools and churches. He has no intention of doing so of course and his only purpose is to make money. Over the course of his endeavors, men die, the locals get nothing and Plainview gets rich. In his life he makes few friends and many enemies and even his adopted son H.W. is eventually alienated.