During one of the discussions, a small spacecraft lands in Orithena on an ancient analemma symbol within the excavation. Orolo holds philosophical discussions with Erasmas about the nature of the cosmos and consciousness, and how he believes that the aliens are not simply from another planet, but from another cosmos that is influenced by Arbre. After a dangerous journey over the planet's frozen pole, they reunite with Orolo at an archaeological excavation of Orithena, an ancient concent destroyed by volcanic eruption. However, Erasmas and several non-avout companions, with Fraa Jad's tacit agreement, decide to seek out Orolo. The avout are told to travel to the concent of Saunt Tredegarh to attend a Convox (a joint conference of the avout and the Sæcular Power). Shortly after that, the Sæcular Power summons many avout from Saunt Edhar, including Erasmas and a Millenarian named Fraa Jad.
The alien ship eventually declares its presence by shining a laser upon several Millenarian Maths (the bastions of those avout who have taken a thousand-year vow of isolation). The presence of the alien ship soon becomes an open secret among many of the avout at Saunt Edhar. Erasmas becomes aware of Orolo's discovery after Orolo is banished (in a rite called Anathem) from the concent for using a video camera (a forbidden technology) to observe the ship. His teacher, Fraa Orolo, discovers that an alien spacecraft is orbiting Arbre – a fact that the world government ( Sæcular Power) attempts to cover up. The narrator and protagonist, Fraa Erasmas, is an avout at the Concent of Saunt Edhar. The avout are normally allowed to communicate with people outside the walls of the concent only once every year, decade, century, or millennium, depending on the particular vows they have taken. The avout (intellectuals separated from Sæcular society) are banned from possessing or operating most advanced technology and are supervised by the Inquisition, which answers to the outside world. Thousands of years before the events in the novel, the planet's intellectuals entered concents (monastic communities) to protect their activities from the collapse of society. Anathem is set on the fictional planet of Arbre.
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