Filmed over three years in China and the U.S., MAINELAND is a multi-layered coming-of-age tale that folloChinese teenagers from the wealthy elite, with big American dreams, settle into a boarding school in small-town Maine. As their fuzzy visions of the American dream slowly gain more clarity, their relationship to home takes on a poignant new aspect.ws two affluent and cosmopolitan teenagers as they settle into a boarding school in blue-collar small-town rural Maine. Part of the enormous wave of 'parachute students' from China enrolling in U.S. private schools, bubbly, fun-loving Stella and introspective Harry come seeking a Western-style education, escape from the dreaded Chinese college entrance exam, and the promise of a Hollywood-style U.S. high school experience. But as their fuzzy visions of the American dream slowly gain more clarity, their relationship to home takes on a surprisingly poignant new aspect.