Forty years ago, the watermen of the Chesapeake Bay headed out to sea in search of the "Almighty Oyster" - just as their forefathers had done for a century or more. This is the story of a vanishing way of life. Young Crowbar is looking for the dad who mysteriously disappeared down the Bay so many years ago. 'Shot' Hampton is dealing with a failing marriage and a new girlfriend, while Coldcock has a troublesome son, who wants to leave the water and work in a bank. All of them are waiting for the opening of Old Rock, the mythical oyster bed that promises to save their season and keep them going for yet another year. But how long can they last? Fritz Hoffecker grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, not far from the Chesapeake Bay. Like his ancestors, he worked as a waterman on the Bay for many years - oystering, drift net fishing and crabbing. Chesapeake Oyster-Man tells the hard-bitten, funny story of waterman going through a rough season 40 years ago.