In Bradbury's classic, frightening vision of the future, firemen don't put out fires but start them--to burn books. It's a time when trivial information is valued and true knowledge perceived as dangerous and subversive. Guy Montag is a fireman with a wife who's goading him to work harder so they could afford another television set. When Montag befriends their neighbor Clarisse, whose love for books and knowledge is contrasted to the Montags' mindless existence, Clarisse suddenly disappears. As a result, Guy begins to hide her books. When his wife turns him in, Guy is ordered to hand them over. Refusing, he runs away, joining an outlawed group of intellectuals who store the contents of the books in their heads, waiting for the time the society will want to think again.