Synopsis

Frank "The Fixer" Tagliano (Steven Van Zandt), a formerunderboss of New York's Italian Mafia, is put in the witness protection program after testifying in a trial in the United States. Tagliano requests that he be relocated in Lillehammer, Norway; intrigued by the town when he saw television images of the 1994Winter Olympics. His new identity is Norwegian-American immigrant Giovanni Henriksen. The spelling of the series alludes to Lily, Tagliano's dog, killed in an attempt on Tagliano's life, and the way some anglophones mispronounce the name of the town.

He soon befriends a teacher named Sigrid and her son, Jonas, whom he spotted on his first train journey to Lillehammer. Their friendship develops and she becomes pregnant after they spend the night together. She learns that she is to have twins. Their relationship progresses throughout the series, but she is soon more and more provoked by his secrets, shady deals and long work hours. Frank/Giovanni is using his old ruthless methods to get ahead in his new life, using blackmail, extortion and violence to get permits for opening his own bar, the Flamingo. Soon, the local police begin to grow suspicious of his activities, as he expands to take over Lillehammer's criminal underworld.