diff --git a/command.c b/command.c
index ceec50f3..360341fb 100644
--- a/command.c
+++ b/command.c
@@ -2043,10 +2043,10 @@ public void commands(void)
 			if (number > 0)
 				shift_count = number;
 			else
-				number = (shift_count > 0) ?
-					shift_count : sc_width / 2;
+				number = (shift_count > 0) ? shift_count : sc_width / 2;
 			if (number > hshift)
 				number = hshift;
+			pos_rehead();
 			hshift -= number;
 			screen_trashed = 1;
 			break;
@@ -2058,8 +2058,8 @@ public void commands(void)
 			if (number > 0)
 				shift_count = number;
 			else
-				number = (shift_count > 0) ?
-					shift_count : sc_width / 2;
+				number = (shift_count > 0) ? shift_count : sc_width / 2;
+			pos_rehead();
 			hshift += number;
 			screen_trashed = 1;
 			break;
@@ -2068,6 +2068,7 @@ public void commands(void)
 			/*
 			 * Shift view left to margin.
 			 */
+			pos_rehead();
 			hshift = 0;
 			screen_trashed = 1;
 			break;
@@ -2076,6 +2077,7 @@ public void commands(void)
 			/*
 			 * Shift view right to view rightmost char on screen.
 			 */
+			pos_rehead();
 			hshift = rrshift();
 			screen_trashed = 1;
 			break;
diff --git a/line.c b/line.c
index e3e57804..eab288dc 100644
--- a/line.c
+++ b/line.c
@@ -1329,7 +1329,7 @@ public void null_line(void)
  * lines which are not split for screen width.
  * {{ This is supposed to be more efficient than forw_line(). }}
  */
-public POSITION forw_raw_line(POSITION curr_pos, char **linep, int *line_lenp)
+public POSITION forw_raw_line_len(POSITION curr_pos, int read_len, char **linep, int *line_lenp)
 {
 	int n;
 	int c;
@@ -1360,6 +1360,11 @@ public POSITION forw_raw_line(POSITION curr_pos, char **linep, int *line_lenp)
 			}
 		}
 		linebuf.buf[n++] = c;
+		if (read_len >= 0 && n >= read_len)
+		{
+			new_pos = ch_tell();
+			break;
+		}
 		c = ch_forw_get();
 	}
 	linebuf.buf[n] = '\0';
@@ -1370,6 +1375,11 @@ public POSITION forw_raw_line(POSITION curr_pos, char **linep, int *line_lenp)
 	return (new_pos);
 }
 
+public POSITION forw_raw_line(POSITION curr_pos, char **linep, int *line_lenp)
+{
+	return forw_raw_line_len(curr_pos, -1, linep, line_lenp);
+}
+
 /*
  * Analogous to back_line(), but deals with "raw lines".
  * {{ This is supposed to be more efficient than back_line(). }}
diff --git a/optfunc.c b/optfunc.c
index a3bdd0da..450e2567 100644
--- a/optfunc.c
+++ b/optfunc.c
@@ -312,6 +312,19 @@ public void opt_ks(int type, char *s)
 #endif /* HAVE_LESSKEYSRC */
 #endif /* USERFILE */
 
+/*
+ * Handler for -S option.
+ */
+public void opt__S(int type, char *s)
+{
+	switch (type)
+	{
+	case TOGGLE:
+		pos_rehead();
+		break;
+	}
+}
+
 #if TAGS
 /*
  * Handler for -t option.
diff --git a/opttbl.c b/opttbl.c
index 3261b7ec..f2efbab1 100644
--- a/opttbl.c
+++ b/opttbl.c
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ static struct loption option[] =
 		}
 	},
 	{ 'S', &S__optname,
-		BOOL|REPAINT, OPT_OFF, &chopline, NULL,
+		BOOL|REPAINT, OPT_OFF, &chopline, opt__S,
 		{
 			"Fold long lines",
 			"Chop long lines",
diff --git a/position.c b/position.c
index c0f86614..d2fda467 100644
--- a/position.c
+++ b/position.c
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ static int table_size = 0;
 
 extern int sc_width, sc_height;
 extern int header_lines;
+extern int screen_trashed;
+extern int hshift;
+extern int chopline;
 
 /*
  * Return the starting file position of a line displayed on the screen.
@@ -236,3 +239,73 @@ public int sindex_from_sline(int sline)
 	 */
 	return (sline-1);
 }
+
+/*
+ * Given a line that starts at linepos,
+ * and the character at byte offset choff into that line,
+ * return the number of characters (not bytes) between the
+ * beginning of the line and the first byte of the choff character.
+ */
+static int pos_shift(POSITION linepos, int choff)
+{
+	char *line;
+	int line_len;
+	POSITION pos;
+	int cvt_ops;
+	int cvt_len;
+	int *chpos;
+	char *cline;
+
+	pos = forw_raw_line_len(linepos, choff, &line, &line_len);
+	if (pos == NULL_POSITION || line_len != choff)
+		return -1;
+	cvt_ops = get_cvt_ops(0);
+	cvt_len = cvt_length(line_len, cvt_ops);
+	chpos = cvt_alloc_chpos(cvt_len);
+	cline = (char *) ecalloc(1, line_len);
+	cvt_text(cline, line, chpos, &line_len, cvt_ops);
+	free(cline);
+	free(chpos);
+	return line_len;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Return the position of the first char of the line containing tpos.
+ * Thus if tpos is the first char of its line, just return tpos.
+ */
+static POSITION beginning_of_line(POSITION tpos)
+{
+	ch_seek(tpos);
+	while (ch_tell() != ch_zero())
+	{
+		int ch = ch_back_get();
+		if (ch == '\n')
+		{
+			(void) ch_forw_get();
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+	return ch_tell();
+}
+
+/*
+ * When viewing long lines, it may be that the first char in the top screen
+ * line is not the first char in its (file) line (the table is "beheaded").
+ * (The top line on the screen is the only one that can be in this state.)
+ * This function sets that entry to the position of the first char in the line.
+ */
+public void pos_rehead(void)
+{
+	POSITION linepos;
+	POSITION tpos = table[TOP];
+	if (!chopline)
+		return;
+	if (tpos == NULL_POSITION)
+		return;
+	linepos = beginning_of_line(tpos);
+	if (linepos == tpos)
+		return;
+	table[TOP] = linepos;
+	hshift = pos_shift(linepos, tpos - linepos);
+	screen_trashed = 1;
+}
diff --git a/search.c b/search.c
index 0c02c32c..cf8722e8 100644
--- a/search.c
+++ b/search.c
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ public void init_search(void)
 /*
  * Determine which text conversions to perform before pattern matching.
  */
-static int get_cvt_ops(int search_type)
+public int get_cvt_ops(int search_type)
 {
 	int ops = 0;
 
@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@ static void shift_visible(int start_off, int end_off)
 	int swidth = sc_width - line_pfx_width();
 	if (start_off >= hshift && end_off < hshift + swidth)
 		return; /* already visible */
-	hshift = (end_off < swidth) ? 0 : start_off < found_shift ? 0 : start_off - found_shift;
+	hshift = (end_off < swidth) ? 0 : (start_off < found_shift) ? 0 : (start_off - found_shift);
 	screen_trashed = 1;
 }