Guy Montag is an American futurist fireman who lights books. His world has firemen who do more than put out fires. People don’t read, socialize, or go outside. They instead watch a lot TV. Montag’s eyes widen to see Clarisse McClellan (his seventeen-year-old neighbor). Her love for people and nature makes her stand out to him. Montag experiences unfortunate events. Mildred, his wife attempts to kill herself with a series of sleeping pills. Later, he sees a woman choosing to burn her books to death and then hears from Clarisse that Clarisse was hit by a car.
Montag is increasingly unhappy in his life and doesn’t show for work because he can’t find a solution to the problem in the books he took from fires. Montag’s fire chief Beatty appears at Montag’s home the day Montag misses working. Beatty tells Montag this is normal behavior for firemen and explains how books have been banned. He explained that groups would object to books that they found offensive, and writers would make similar books to avoid offending others. It was not enough. Society decided to burn them instead of keeping the conflict going. Montag reads for 24 hours after Beatty has told him. Montag becomes frustrated by reading and asks Mildred to help. But Mildred prefers to watch television, so Montag starts reading. Faber, an English professor, was the first person he remembered seeing at the park. Faber helps him understand the books. Faber takes him to the park and tells Montag that their knowledge is the most valuable thing. Montag learns that he does not just need to read books, but that he also needs to be able to take responsibility for what he sees. Faber agrees to help Montag read, and they devise a plan for destroying the status quo. Faber will reproduce books and Montag will burn them to discredit them.
Montag returns home, while Mildred’s two friends join her for a night of television. Mildred is angry at Montag when Mildred talks to her friends about the imminent war. He begins to read Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach”. Montag is reprimanded by the women, who are now disturbed. Montag goes back to work, gives Beatty the book and then becomes confused when Beatty shares quotes from famous novels with him. Montag believes that books can be too conflictual and morbid. The alarm sounds and Montag is able to locate it. Montag finds Mildred in a taxi, with all her belongings, when he arrives. Montag is taken into custody by Beatty after he tells him that he must set fire to the house.
Montag runs away from Beatty, who is scolding him. Beatty follows the mechanical hound and injects anesthetic into his leg. Montag burns the flamethrower to end it. Then he goes about his day. He then goes out to get his books and calls an alarm. Montag sees Faber following him and discovers that Faber has a helicopter, a dog, and a news crew. Montag is told by Faber that Faber will be going to St. Louis. Montag then gives Faber money so Faber can get rid of his smell. Montag runs to the river with Faber’s clothes after Faber has left. Montag escapes the city and runs downstream, watching as Granger leads the “Book People”. They are book-lovers who hope to save humanity in the aftermath. Montag is given the task of learning the “Book of Ecclesiastes” by his friends. Montag and his friends evacuate the city after enemy fighter jets attack it. Montag and his friends then set out to find survivors and re-establish civilization.
