''A Strange Story'' introduces us to the Smothers family: father, John; his wife; and their daughter are the key characters. Henry thinks it's important to tell readers that the family is honest, and that's really the only description of them we get. (Which makes it all that much more important, right?)

One night, the Smothers' daughter develops colic, an onset of abdominal pain common in infants. John Smothers rushes out to get his daughter some medicine but never returns.

The story, and the Smothers' lives, progress. The daughter recovers and grows up, gets married and has a daughter of her own. John's wife grieves his disappearance but later remarries.