Propelled by curiosity, college student Jakob Vanden begins to question the mainstream wisdom of the world around him. Guiding him along the way his mentor, Professor Briarton, has far more on the agenda than simply molding young minds. The two suddenly disappear, prompting Jakob's father to begin a desperate search for his son. Jakob finds himself soon embroiled in a secret society's plot to simultaneously destroy all the governments of the world. He ultimately realizes that he is not a casual observer, but rather the final decision maker. Will he rationalize the annihilation of his own society to bring truth to the world? Told in the mind-bending style of 1984 and Stranger in a Strange Land, yet set in present day, A New Era Begins proves that there is no need to propel one's self into the future to illustrate the ubiquitous, unsustainable flaws in our own society. The future is now.