The time signature graph for Crash illustrates how the X-Y graph works. The movie starts at the Starting Point of Now, the zero value on the Y-axis (story time) and the zero minute on the X-axis (running time). The story advances into the future for seven minutes then a flashback draws the plot back in time. By normalizing the story time increments (the plot advanced approximately ninety minutes into the future then flashed-back an entire day, so these elements are normalized to indicate appropriate time ratios). Next, the story begins traveling through time back to the Starting Point, crosses that line, then crosses the Flashback Point and finishes a few moments after the Flashback Point.