diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
+# 1.5
+
+- Fix inconsistent formatting within align and wide sub-docs on narrow layouts
+
 # 1.4
 
 - Add fixity declaration to `<+>`, matching `<>`
 - Fix removal of trailing whitespace
-    - Keep very last newlines, Unix-style
-    - Do not trim leading whitespace
 
 # 1.3.0.1
 
diff --git a/prettyprinter.cabal b/prettyprinter.cabal
--- a/prettyprinter.cabal
+++ b/prettyprinter.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 name:                prettyprinter
-version:             1.4.0
+version:             1.5.0
 cabal-version:       >= 1.10
 category:            User Interfaces, Text
 synopsis:            A modern, easy to use, well-documented, extensible pretty-printer.
diff --git a/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc/Internal.hs b/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc/Internal.hs
--- a/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc/Internal.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Text/Prettyprint/Doc/Internal.hs
@@ -1524,6 +1524,15 @@
   deriving Typeable
 
 
+-- | Test whether a docstream starts with a linebreak, ignoring any annotations.
+startsWithLine :: SimpleDocStream ann -> Bool
+startsWithLine sds = case sds of
+    SLine{}      -> True
+    SAnnPush _ s -> startsWithLine s
+    SAnnPop s    -> startsWithLine s
+    _            -> False
+
+
 -- $
 -- >>> import qualified Data.Text.IO as T
 -- >>> doc = "lorem" <> hardline <> hardline <> pretty "ipsum"
@@ -1785,7 +1794,16 @@
       | fits pWidth minNestingLevel availableWidth x = x
       | otherwise = y
       where
-        minNestingLevel = min lineIndent currentColumn
+        minNestingLevel =
+            -- See https://github.com/quchen/prettyprinter/issues/83.
+            if startsWithLine y
+                -- y might be a (more compact) hanging layout. Let's check x
+                -- thoroughly with the smaller lineIndent.
+                then lineIndent
+                -- y definitely isn't a hanging layout. Let's allow the first
+                -- line of x to be checked on its own and format it consistently
+                -- with subsequent lines with the same indentation.
+                else currentColumn
         ribbonWidth = case pWidth of
             AvailablePerLine lineLength ribbonFraction ->
                 (Just . max 0 . min lineLength . round)
diff --git a/test/Testsuite/Main.hs b/test/Testsuite/Main.hs
--- a/test/Testsuite/Main.hs
+++ b/test/Testsuite/Main.hs
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
                    regressionLayoutSmartSoftline
         , testCase "alterAnnotationsS causes panic when removing annotations (#50)"
                    regressionAlterAnnotationsS
+        , testCase "Bad fallback handling with align (#83)" badFallbackAlign
         , testGroup "removeTrailingWhitespace removes leading whitespace (#84)"
             [ testCase "Text node"
                        doNotRemoveLeadingWhitespaceText
@@ -268,3 +269,11 @@
         sdoc = SChar 'x' (SLine 2 (SLine 2 SEmpty))
         sdoc' = SChar 'x' (SLine 0 (SLine 0 SEmpty))
     in assertEqual "" sdoc' (removeTrailingWhitespace sdoc)
+
+badFallbackAlign :: Assertion
+badFallbackAlign
+  = let x = group (flatAlt "Default" "Fallback")
+        doc = "/" <> align (cat [x, x, "Too wide!!!!!"])
+        actual = renderStrict (layoutSmart (LayoutOptions (AvailablePerLine 12 1)) doc)
+        expected = "/Fallback\n Fallback\n Too wide!!!!!"
+    in assertEqual "" expected actual