Strange Conceit takes place in a Mexican tourist town. It weaves together the narratives of a broken-down priest who has just lost his wife, a mysterious and protective black dog, an adolescent young man convinced that the world is meaningless, a teenage girl lost in literature, a young Mexican boy who loves her from afar, a renegade bootlegger in a wheelchair, an obese bookseller, a man who may or may not be an angel, and a parrot of above average intelligence. Told from the shifting points of view of several different main characters, Strange Conceit examines issues of despair, free will, hope, and mystery.