In the future, after a Culture wars, most reading in America is confined to the Internet, called "the 9," and most books are banned (except for greatly simplified versions of books such as The Bible, ''To the Lighthouse'' and ''Moby Dick'') When he finally decides to rebel and understand how the "Eels" (book-reading outcasts) read, he comes to a realization—he now wants to read as well. Montag decides to help a rebel who has a plan to reproduce their information through animals. This rebel group encoded books into a bird's DNA so that it can live on and survive the efforts of the firemen.