Set in a small village in Tsarist Russia in 1905, the story centres on Tevye, a poor dairyman and father of five daughters, as he tries to preserve his religious traditions in a changing world. His strong-willed older daughters  choose to marry for love, rather than a husband chosen by the matchmaker, and as each one’s choice of husband moves further from the customs of their faith, Tevye must choose between their happiness and his beloved traditions. On top of this, the Jews are to be evicted from the village.