Centring around the author's adoption of his daughters, Scott Simon explores the role and impact of adoption – either being adopted or adopting children of your own, even both. Weaving in the stories of other families demonstrates an even wider range of experiences. Among them are Steve Levitt, the economist, author of Freakonomics, and father of two adopted Chinese daughters; Frank Deford, America’s preeminent sportswriter, who spoke for the first time about his daughter, Scarlet, who the Defords adopted from the Philippines; and Martin Simon, the son of the late U.S. Senator from Illinois, who was adopted at birth and grew up thinking he was Cherokee – until he met his birth mother.