Set in the small Jewish village of Anateuka. Russia in 1905, the show follows the life of Tevye, a milkman, his wife Golde and their 5 daughters. Living in harsh times, under the Tsarist rule, Tevye, a deeply religious and hardworking man. wants nothing more than to marry off his 5 daughters. Tzeitel, Hodel, Chava, Shprintze and Bielke.

Tradition has it that the eldest daughter must marry first, so Golde entrusts the help of the village's matchmaker. Yente, in securing a suitable partner for Tzeitel. Yente suggests Lazar Wolf, the town's aging butcher and Golde is delighted. However. Tzeitel wants to marry Motel, the young tailor of the village. When Tevye sees how upset she is about marrying Lazar Wolf. he breaks with tradition and allows her to marry Motel but he has to find a way to tell his wife Golde.

This he does by pretending he has had a dream in which Golde's grandmother (Grandma Tzeitel) and Lazar's first wife (Fruma-Sarah) appear and threaten his daughter's life. So Golde agrees to Tzeitel and motel's marriage. During the traditionally Jewish wedding, where men and women are segregated. Perchik - a revolutionary student from Kiev who is teaching the 5 daughters, challenges this tradition and the Rabbi confirms that such togetherness is not forbidden by the Good Book. The wedding is short-lived however, when the Russian forces, in the name of the Tsar smash up the wedding.

Hodel. the second eldest daughter, falls in love with Perchik and before he leaves to join up with his revolutionary-minded comrades in search of a Tsar-free future, he asks her to marry him. She agrees although Tevye once again has to wrestle with his conscience. Perchik is soon arrested and put in prison and Hodel leaves to Join him. Chaua then declares her love for Fyedka, a Russian gentile. This time Tevye cannot accept this partnership as it compromises his religious beliefs. He tells Chaua to end the relationship but instead she runs off and marries Fyedka, forcing Tevye to disown her.

The Tsar orders all the Jewish people of Anatevka and surrounding areas to leave their homes within 3 days and. despite initial defiance, the villagers realise that they have to go or face probable death. So Tevye, Golde and their youngest 2 daughters leave to go to America, followed by Tzeitel, Motel and their newborn baby. As they leave the village, Tevye hears a fiddler playing a tune and he invites him to join them.