Nouriel Kaplan meets with Ana Goren, giving her his pitch for a story about an ancient mystery that predicted modern events and bears some significance on events to come. Goren is convinced that Kaplan is crazy, and he tells her that a mysterious man gave him the story of this mystery. He does not know the man's name or where the man got his information, but Kaplan firmly believes that the story and its implications are true.

Kaplan claims that the story explains various modern events, such as the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, the housing market crash in 2007-08, and the war between the US and Iraq. Goren is skeptical, but Kaplan presents her with a small clay seal that he says started the story. He calls it the first seal.

Kaplan and Goren discuss the seal, and Kaplan reveals that the markings are an ancient Hebrew script. Goren realizes that Kaplan is a journalist whom she has heard of previously, and Kaplan tells her about how he acquired the seal. The narration splits between Kaplan’s story and Goren’s periodic questions and comments on it.

Kaplan received the seal in the mail from an unknown sender.