Setting Mafia takes places within the fictional U.S. city of Lost Heaven,
Illinois, during the final years of
Prohibition in the 1930s. The West and East River divides the city into three boroughs: West Side (on the Saint Peter Coast), consisting of industrial buildings, the main port, and residential communities inhabited by Chinese and Italian immigrants; Central Island, dividing the river and consisting of the city's commercial district and municipal buildings; and East Side (on the Saint Paul Coast), consisting of both residential suburbs and slums, a bustling downtown district, and the city's local
armory and stadium. The city features surrounding countryside that includes a hydroelectric dam, international airport, and a race circuit. The game's main story involves two major mafia families—the Salieri family, and the Morello family—who fight for control over the city's rackets in the wake of the demise of a third mafia family. Alongside the two groups, the city features a variety of smaller street gangs. Much of the city's design, including the architectural styles, public transportation and landmarks, are inspired from real-life American cities of the period, including
New York,
Chicago and
Los Angeles. The overall size of the setting encompasses around .
Plot In 1930, taxi driver Tommy Angelo is forced by Paulie and Sam, two members of the Salieri
crime family, into helping them escape an ambush by the rival Morello family. Tommy is compensated for his help and offered a position in the organization of
Don Salieri. He initially refuses, but when the Morello family puts a hit out on him in revenge for the previous night, Tommy joins Salieri's crew and becomes involved in running their
rackets across the city, overseen by Salieri's trusty
consigliere Frank Colletti. In 1932, Tommy enters into a relationship with Sarah, the daughter of Salieri's bartender, after protecting her from a gang of street thugs. On Salieri's orders, Tommy and Paulie retaliate against the gang, but learn that their leader, whom Paulie killed, was the son of a powerful, corrupt politician. Tommy is later ordered to bomb a brothel for switching its loyalties to Morello and kill an informant working there. Discovering the informant to be Sarah's friend Michelle, who needed money to pay for her brother's medical care, Tommy lets her go with a warning. He covers it up and assists Sam on a hit against a witness to the politician's son's murder. In 1933, Morello enlists the politician's support to destroy the Salieri family. After Tommy, Paulie, and Sam survive a police raid on their
bootlegging operation, Salieri discovers that Frank has turned over evidence of the family's
money laundering to the authorities and reluctantly orders Tommy to kill him. Discovering he was coerced to do so by Morello, Tommy allows Frank to leave the country with his family and again covers it up, before retrieving the evidence against Salieri. Tommy later marries Sarah, and they start a family. In 1935, the Salieri and Morello families begin branching out into new rackets following the end of
Prohibition. Learning that Salieri is making moves to gain control over law enforcement, Morello attempts to have him killed. After Tommy saves him, Salieri declares open war on his rival. Tommy helps to weaken Morello's position by assassinating the politician, to reduce Morello's control over city politics, and Morello's brother Sergio, to reduce his control on the
port unions. The war comes to an end after Tommy and his friends gun Morello down as he tries to flee the city. By 1938, the Salieri family is in full control of Lost Heaven's rackets and is ruthlessly eliminating anyone who opposes them. Tommy, Paulie and Sam agree to recover a shipment of impounded cigar crates but are shocked when the crates are actually full of diamonds. Realizing Salieri was deceiving them, Tommy and Paulie decide to rob a bank without telling Salieri. Although the job is successful, Tommy finds Paulie murdered in his apartment the following day and the stolen money missing. Tommy goes to discuss the matter with Sam, who instead reveals Salieri ordered Tommy and Paulie's deaths for going behind his back, and that Michelle and Frank were murdered by Salieri's men after Tommy's past cover-ups were exposed. Tommy survives Sam's ambush and kills him but is forced to go into hiding with his family. Fearing for their safety, he contacts Detective Norman, who has been investigating Salieri, for help. After relaying his story, Tommy offers to testify against the Salieri family in exchange for a reduced prison sentence and protection for his family. Norman agrees, and the resulting investigation and trials lead to most of the Salieri family, including the Don, being convicted and sentenced. After serving eight years in prison, Tommy is reunited with his family as they are all placed under witness protection and relocated to another city. Years later, Tommy's past catches up to him and he is killed on his front lawn by two hitmen on Salieri's behalf. The game ends with a monologue narrated by Tommy, explaining how the world really works and lamenting over how he and his friends only wanted the good life but ended up with nothing at all; he concludes that it is important to keep balance in everything, as life can both give and take away. == Development ==