Many of Japan's rural towns and villages are dying as young people migrate to the bright lights of the big cities. "The Children of the River" follows third-grader, Teppei Sasaki as he attends school and plays with his friends, swimming in the local pond, fishing and generally enjoying a way of life that city kids never have a chance to experience. Here on the banks of the great Kitakami River in the northwestern prefecture of Iwate, life is simpler and relationships are warmer.