Moore examines how, in the aftermath of the attacks, the government capitalized on citizens' fear and confusion to pass the Patriot Act, which infringes on basic human rights and used this fear to pursue the war in Iraq.

The title is adapted from a Ray Bradbury novel entitled Fahrenheit 451, which details a dystopian future where people are discouraged from seeking knowledge.

"As Bush sat in that Florida classroom, was he wondering if maybe he should have shown up to work more often? Should he have held at least one meeting since taking office to discuss the threat of terrorism with his head of counter terrorism? Or maybe Mr. Bush was wondering why he had cut terrorism funding from the FBI. Or perhaps he just should have read the security briefing that was given to him on August 6, 2001 that said that Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America by hijacking airplanes. Or maybe he wasn't worried about the terrorist threat because the title of the report was too vague."