"Orchid Hunter" investigates an all-consuming passion that for some people seems to be more precious than life itself. Ranging from the scientific to the sociological, the program covers research at the forefront of plant biology and gives insights from New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief.

Long of interest to scientists because of their remarkable evolutionary history, orchids are equally exciting to collectors, who have made them a multibillion-dollar industry. The dream of discovering and naming such a crowd-pleaser drives some enthusiasts to desperate measures.

"I know that it's got political problems," says tireless orchid hunter Hart Dyke about his latest destination. "I know there's a lot of guerrilla activity there; I know that the terrain is terrible, and the diseases are rife, but that's why it's such a good place to go. If you want to find a new species of orchid, you've got to go to places that are dangerous because no one else goes there."

Prime motivation for the 25-year-old amateur botanist is the chance to make a discovery that he can name after his grandmother, who taught him on the family estate in England to love horticulture. The film accompanies Hart Dyke on his quest, which he well knows has a tradition of gruesome outcomes.

Premiere broadcast November 26, 2002 on NOVA/PBS