Provenance: A Cautionary Tale Volume 1: Chase

Dr. Josh Paulson spent most of his academic career reading social anthropological books and journals, researching and analyzing ancient civilizations. In his master's thesis, he theorized that human cultures are products of thousands of years of social evolution in which social structures changed as human beings evolved physically and mentally. His interest in social evolution led him to dig deeper into the fields of social and physical anthropology gleaning glimpses of the archives of prehistoric human societies four million years ago. He presented several hypotheses in his doctoral dissertation linking modern social structures to the rudimentary tribal social structures of our most ancient ancestors.

His publications, classroom lectures, and seminars all reinforce the concept that our early hominid ancestors adapted and survived with the help of their emerging language. With language comes the ability to think and to communicate. Language also gave our ancestors the capacity to develop tribal customs and norms.
A key element in his theory involved the concept that somewhere along the time line of human social evolution several social traditions emerged, evolved, and eventually became an intricate part of the social institutions of modern societies. In ancient tribal groups, an individual--usually by means of brute force--assumed a position of power over the tribe. A younger, stronger hunter took over the leadership of the hunters and gatherers and was responsible for protecting the tribe from predators. Storytellers fabricated myths to explain natural phenomenon with the creation of deities. Over hundreds of thousands of years, tribal communities flourished in the lush tropical zone of Africa. Interactions between tribes ushered in the concept of commerce as trading food, shelter, and other tribal members became a common practice.

Paulson asserts that greed and the pursuit of power tainted the evolution of those four early social structures, allowing the leaders of those structures to exploit and brutalize tribal members. He argues that those social structures continued to evolve into complex institutions that are responsible for the dystopian American society of his world, because the practice of exploiting and manipulating tribal members has always remained an intricate part of the fabric of each institution.

Paulson quickly rises in popularity on the guest lecture circuit of the scientific community. However, unknown to him, he has also attracted the attention of a far-right anti-evolution sect, corrupt legislators, and powerful corporate executives. Those people are afraid Paulson may eventually arouse the ire of the masses resulting in social unrest and upheaval. The anti-evolutionists, led by Abraham--an evangelical fanatic--carefully monitor Paulson's activities--especially his seminars and begin planning a strategy to punish Paulson for blasphemy.
Even though Paulson is engaged to Leslie, a wealthy South Hamptons socialite, when Anna Metcalf, a second year graduate student at Cornell University, asks Paulson to be her graduate advisor, a close bond immediately develops between them. Paulson's strict policy against dating students keeps his feelings in check. However, his overly possessive fiancée repeatedly accuses him of having an affair with the graduate student. Leslie' suspicions lead her to stalk Paulson while her obsessions erode her already fragile mental stability. Her parents, knowing that Leslie has the potential to harm herself and others, commit her to a mental health facility.