Tevye and his wife Golde (Penelope Alex) want the best of things for their daughters — rich husbands — but watch as each make romantic yet impractical choices for spouses. The eldest Tzeitel (Melissa Cotton) marries Motel, a childhood friend and a poor tailor (Kevin Robert White). The middle daughter, Hodel (Hannah Eakin), runs off to Siberia to support her intended, the student revolutionary Perchik (Jamey Grisham). And the youngest of those eligible for marriage, Chava (Alexandra Jaeb), chooses to marry outside the faith and one of the Russian soldiers, Fyedka (Josh Meredith).
The case of Chava is the saddest of all, as Tevye cannot bend far enough to accept her marriage to a man who represents those who persecute the Jews, killing them and driving them from their homes. In the end, however, Tevye shows his enormous compassion and love for his daughters with a hint that he cannot refuse to acknowledge Chava forever.