451 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which paper catches fire and burns. The main character, Montag, is a fireman—but the meaning of this profession has long since changed. Houses are now built from heat-resistant alloys, and firemen’s job is to burn books. Not the works of specific authors—banned literature in general—and people who store and read books commit a crime against the state. Pointless entertainment, soothing pills, exhausting work—these are the only things a person does.
Tired of such a life, Montag reads his first book.