Lost Heaven

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Lost Heaven is a fictional city loosely based on Chicago, set from 1930 to 1938 during the Great Depression. It is the setting of the first game in the series, Mafia (2002), which follows Tommy Angelo, a taxi driver-turned-mobster, and his rise and fall within the Salieri crime family.

In Their Own Story

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 and offered a position in Don Salieri's organization. He initially refuses, but when the Morello family puts a hit out on him, Tommy joins Salieri's crew. In 1932, Tommy enters a relationship with Sarah, the daughter of Salieri's bartender, after protecting her from street thugs. On Salieri's orders, Tommy and Paulie retaliate against the gang, but learn their leader was the son of a powerful, corrupt politician. Tommy later bombs a brothel for switching loyalties to Morello and lets an informant—Sarah's friend Michelle—go free. In 1933, after surviving a police raid on their bootlegging operation, Tommy discovers Frank has turned over evidence of money laundering. Tommy allows Frank to leave the country with his family and retrieves the evidence. In 1935, after Tommy saves Salieri from an assassination attempt, open war is declared on Morello. Tommy assassinates the politician and Morello's brother Sergio, then guns down Morello as he tries to flee the city. By 1938, Tommy, Paulie, and Sam discover a shipment of diamonds Salieri was hiding. Tommy and Paulie rob a bank without telling Salieri. Paulie is murdered, and Tommy kills Sam after learning Salieri ordered their deaths. Tommy goes into hiding, contacts Detective Norman, and testifies against the Salieri family in exchange for a reduced prison sentence and protection for his family. After serving eight years in prison, Tommy is reunited with his family under witness protection. Years later, Tommy is killed on his front lawn by two hitmen on Salieri's behalf.

Reader's Guide

In Mafia (2002), players explore the open world of Lost Heaven, completing missions to progress the story and engaging in side activities. The game also includes a Free Ride mode that allows players to trigger missions from the open world.

Did You Know?

• Lost Heaven is based on Chicago.
• The game set in Lost Heaven was originally released simply as Mafia in 2002, not Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven.
• The story in Lost Heaven spans from 1930 to 1938.