Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury's novel, Fahrenheit 451, is of the struggles of a firefighter, Guy Montag. This novel takes place during the future in Elm City where all houses are fireproof, people drive jet cars, and firefighters burn books instead of extinguishing them! Montag was pushed by his curiosity to steal some books before the firefighters burn them and store them in his house. One day, Montag met Clarisse McClellan, one of his neighbors. Clarisse was a 17-year-old girl who had no fear of speaking her mind. "Let's talk about something else. Have you ever smelled old leaves? Don’t they smell like cinnamon?