Season 1 of American Dreams premiered on July 13, 2017.

Meili is a young lady facing abject poverty in her hometown. After seeing pictures sent home by her neighbour’s daughter of cozy life in America with food aplenty, Meili decides to risk following human trafficker Jiang into Thailand and onward to the promise land of America. After an almost deadly trek across the border, Meili reaches Thailand only to find out that she has been sold into prostitution by Jiang. Meili manages to escape and is subsequently picked up by fellow illegal immigrant Chang when he finds her eating leftovers outside the restaurant he works at. Though she now has an ally, things are not all that much better for Meili because she has to escape both the triad who wants to catch her back and also the police who will deport her.