Here's the gist of the story:

Alex White Plume of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota had been trying to grow various crops on his land, but none of what he planted could sustain. Finally, after a bit of research, he decided to grow industrial hemp, a close relative of marijuana but with a much lower amount of THC. While it is not illegal to sell hemp products, it is illegal to grow it, but Plume assumed he could grow and sell the hemp due to tribal sovereignty.

Standing Silent Nation, which airs this Tuesday July 3 at 10:00 p.m. as part of the PBS series POV (check listings), is a documentary shot over four years that delves into the problems Plume and his family faced when federal agents raided their land and destroyed their crops. Later, Plume had eight federal civil charges leveled against him.

This documentary caught my eye for two reasons: one, it deals with an unending drug war that often veers into territory that is utterly inexplicable, and two, it deals with the nature of Native American sovereignty. As an American, I'm intrigued by both of these issues and what they've meant to the country as a whole.

You can watch a trailer for the doc here.