The plot is too sweeping to go into detail, encompassing 30 years in the main part and a further 30 by way of suggestion. In this case the time is worth the effort, even if it a little luxurious and overlong. On the other hand, many people who see a running time over 180 minutes immediately assume it is an epic that must be `the greatest film ever made'. A three and a half hour movie may not be everyone's idea of fun. His return sparks memories of his childhood and adulthood growing up in the area with his friends and eventual business partners. His return is mysterious and he doesn't know why he has been summoned. His return is his first for half his life having fled New York to avoid being killed for ratting out his gangster friends. Noodles returns to the New York of his youth in response to an invitation to come and meet.