The movie is about organized crime in New York , and it tells about the fictional Corleone family from 1945 to 1955 . Vito Corleone , the head of the family , took over the "business" in the 1920s, and has built it into a powerful organization . Decades later , he's passing the control of his empire to his sons .His son Michael is a war hero who doesn't want to get involved in anything illegal . However, a number of events happen and Michael ends up following in his father's footsteps