California Dreaming explores the unusual town of California City, the third largest city by area in the state of California, though only about 14,000 people live there. Grandiosely conceived in the 1950s as a new metropolis to rival Los Angeles, a mere two hours away, it is now a small town within a much larger ghost town in the desert. The film follows several locals, including Quebec-born blue-collar worker Jean-Paul LeBlanc, and explores how the American Dream has changed over time, drawing parallels between the American Dream of the 1960s, when the city was founded, and the dreams of those living there today.

"What's left of the American Dream?"