Frank "The Fixer" Tagliano (Steven Van Zandt), a former member of New York's Italian Mafia, is put in the witness protection programme after testifying in a trial in the United States. Tagliano chooses to start his new life as Norwegian-American immigrant Giovanni Henriksen in the town of Lillyhammer, Norway because he was intrigued by television images of the town during the 1994 Winter Olympics!

In season 2, Frank is a successful nightclub owner and more recently, a father of two. His adoption of a Norwegian paternal role is riddled with challenges, which he has to juggle while running his criminal operation. To make matters worse, Frank's entire past threatens to catch up with him, when his former mob associates learn that he is still alive. The problem is, the more attached Frank grows to Lilyhammer, the more he has to lose.