Down the River Summary

Karin and Mark are provided with very little information about their daughter at the point of adoption, which leads Karin to research the abandonment of female children in China. Most of the girl babies are marked by the authorities as "found forsaken," because the babies are found in fields, by the roadside, and many other places with no note or any other form of identification attached.

Rarely, there are notes attached with brief messages such as "I am heartbroken to give her up. But in China, women have no power and I have no choice. I hope someone will care for her." Sometimes, the birth mother includes a note to the child such as "In this life, in this world, I am not able to provide for you. I am giving you up so you can have a life...