In 1943, Sicilian immigrant Vito Scaletta is arrested during a robbery and opts to join the U.S. Army in order to avoid jail. After spending two years as a paratrooper on various World War II allied operations, including Operation Husky in Sicily, Vito is given leave in February 1945 to return home to Empire Bay. Finding that his mother and sister are struggling to repay his late father's debt since the family moved to the city in the 1920s, Vito turns to his best friend Joe Barbaro for help, after he provides him with counterfeit discharge papers that can allow him to leave the army for good. The pair slowly take on jobs for made man Henry Tomasino and caporegime Luca Gurino, members of the Clemente family, that secure Vito the money needed to clear his family's debt. However, his involvement in the theft and sale of federal ration stamps lead to him being arrested for the crime, convicted in court, and sentenced to prison for ten years. While in prison, Vito falls in with a crowd led by Leo Galante, the consigliere of mob boss Frank Vinci, and makes an impression on Galante by demonstrating his fighting skills. Meanwhile, Vito's mother dies one day while his sister is visiting him, and all his money - which have gave to his sister for a doctor and a wedding gift - is used for their mother's funeral instead.
