Barbra Streisand gives an Oscar-winning performance as Fanny Brice, the greatest female comedian of her generation. Discovered at Keeney's Music Hall, Fanny is soon signed by producer Florenz Ziegfeld (Walter Pigeon) to appear in his Follies. As her fame grows, so does her yearning for Nicky Arnstein (Omar Sharif), a handsome gambler. Despite their differences, Arnstein becomes the great love of Fanny's life as they marry and have a child. But as her career flourishes, Nicky's worsens, until he's imprisoned for embezzlement. Although Fanny refuses to divorce him, the two eventually realize their marriage cannot work and Nicky walks out of her life forever.