The setting takes place in an unnamed futuristic city sometime in the 24th century. Computers do everything except there are no books aloud. If you are caught with a book you will be killed in one of the big crematoriums that the town posses. Guy Montag tells the story and he is the protagonist. Montag's wife is a major character and they don't really share any love or affection. Clarisse McClellan is Montag's seventeen-year-old neighbor. He likes her a lot and she questions his ways of life making him understand how bad his town really is. .
The book starts on a regular day for Montag. Clarisse asks Montag "Are you happy?" This challenges Montags way of life and this makes him want to change throughout the story. The reason Clarisse asks this is because Montag is a fireman and he burns people's houses that they have books. He overlooks the fact that he is destroying people's property for a living. .
Montag goes home to Millie, his wife. They both don't love each other and they never have any affection between them. In fact, they barely ever notice each other. That night Montag notices bombers flying over his town. This is foreshadowing an upcoming war. Montag finds out that Millie has taken an overdose. He calls the suicide orderlies. They save Millie's life. The next day Millie doesn't even talk to Montag and totally ignores him. .
Montag finds out that Clarisse has been killed and he really gets upset. He tries to talk to his wife about books and ideas and what is wrong with society, but she is not interested. The next day Montag doesn't come to work and his boss comes to his house. Montag's boss says that if he doesn't get rid of all of the books he has stolen over the years they will burn his house. .
After his boss leaves Montag shows the books to his .
wife. Millie is scared and won't deal with what's happening. Montag gets mad and takes one of his books and leaves to visit Faber, an old English professor he once knew.