diff --git a/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium.hs b/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium.hs
index 74b78a7..6184d24 100644
--- a/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium.hs
+++ b/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium.hs
@@ -26,9 +26,10 @@ module Database.PostgreSQL.Opium
   )
   where
 
-import Control.Monad (void)
+import Control.Monad (unless, void)
 import Control.Monad.IO.Class (liftIO)
-import Control.Monad.Trans.Except (ExceptT (..), except, runExceptT)
+import Control.Monad.Trans.Except (ExceptT (..), except, runExceptT, throwE)
+import Data.Functor.Identity (Identity (..))
 import Data.Proxy (Proxy (..))
 import Data.Text (Text)
 import Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ
@@ -41,24 +42,37 @@ import qualified Database.PostgreSQL.LibPQ as LibPQ
 
 import Database.PostgreSQL.Opium.Error (Error (..), ErrorPosition (..))
 import Database.PostgreSQL.Opium.FromField (FromField (..), RawField (..))
-import Database.PostgreSQL.Opium.FromRow (FromRow (..))
+import Database.PostgreSQL.Opium.FromRow (FromRow (..), ColumnTable)
 import Database.PostgreSQL.Opium.ToField (ToField (..))
 import Database.PostgreSQL.Opium.ToParamList (ToParamList (..))
 
--- The order of the type parameters is important, because it is more common to use type applications for providing the row type.
+class RowContainer c where
+  extract :: FromRow a => Result -> ColumnTable -> ExceptT Error IO (c a)
+
+instance RowContainer [] where
+  extract result columnTable = do
+    nRows <- liftIO $ LibPQ.ntuples result
+    mapM (ExceptT . fromRow result columnTable) [0..nRows - 1]
+
+instance RowContainer Identity where
+  extract result columnTable = do
+    nRows <- liftIO $ LibPQ.ntuples result
+    unless (nRows == 1) $ throwE ErrorNotExactlyOneRow
+    Identity <$> ExceptT (fromRow result columnTable 0)
+
+-- The order of the type parameters is important, because it is more common to use type applications for providing the row type and row container type.
 fetch
-  :: forall a b. (ToParamList b, FromRow a)
+  :: forall a b c. (ToParamList c, FromRow a, RowContainer b)
   => Text
-  -> b
+  -> c
   -> Connection
-  -> IO (Either Error [a])
+  -> IO (Either Error (b a))
 fetch query params conn = runExceptT $ do
   result <- execParams conn query params
   columnTable <- ExceptT $ getColumnTable @a Proxy result
-  nRows <- liftIO $ LibPQ.ntuples result
-  mapM (ExceptT . fromRow result columnTable) [0..nRows - 1]
+  extract result columnTable
 
-fetch_ :: forall a. FromRow a => Text -> Connection -> IO (Either Error [a])
+fetch_ :: forall a c. (FromRow a, RowContainer c) => Text -> Connection -> IO (Either Error (c a))
 fetch_ query = fetch query ()
 
 execute
diff --git a/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium/Error.hs b/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium/Error.hs
index 1ac3531..57e93f9 100644
--- a/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium/Error.hs
+++ b/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium/Error.hs
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ data Error
   | ErrorInvalidOid Text Oid
   | ErrorUnexpectedNull ErrorPosition
   | ErrorInvalidField ErrorPosition Oid ByteString String
+  | ErrorNotExactlyOneRow
   deriving (Eq, Show)
 
 instance Exception Error where
diff --git a/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium/FromRow.hs b/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium/FromRow.hs
index de5a4e6..60bcc06 100644
--- a/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium/FromRow.hs
+++ b/lib/Database/PostgreSQL/Opium/FromRow.hs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ module Database.PostgreSQL.Opium.FromRow
   -- * FromRow
   ( FromRow (..)
   -- * Internal
+  , ColumnTable
   , toListColumnTable
   ) where
 
diff --git a/test/Database/PostgreSQL/OpiumSpec.hs b/test/Database/PostgreSQL/OpiumSpec.hs
index 532d2e3..487d43c 100644
--- a/test/Database/PostgreSQL/OpiumSpec.hs
+++ b/test/Database/PostgreSQL/OpiumSpec.hs
@@ -131,23 +131,35 @@ spec = do
       rows <- Opium.fetch "SELECT count(*) AS only FROM person WHERE name = $1" (Identity ("paul" :: Text)) conn
       rows `shouldBe` Right [Only (1 :: Int)]
 
+    it "Accepts exactly one row when Identity is the return type" $ \conn -> do
+      row <- Opium.fetch "SELECT ($1 + $2) AS only" (17 :: Int, 25 :: Int) conn
+      row `shouldBe` Right (Identity (Only (42 :: Int)))
+
+    it "Does not accept zero rows when Identity is the return type" $ \conn -> do
+      row <- Opium.fetch @(Only Int) @Identity "SELECT ($1 + $2) AS only WHERE false" (17 :: Int, 25 :: Int) conn
+      row `shouldSatisfy` isLeft
+
+    it "Does not accept two rows when Identity is the return type" $ \conn -> do
+      row <- Opium.fetch @(Only Int) @Identity "SELECT $1 AS only UNION ALL SELECT $2 AS only" (17 :: Int, 25 :: Int) conn
+      row `shouldSatisfy` isLeft
+
   describe "fetch_" $ do
     it "Retrieves a list of rows" $ \conn -> do
       rows <- Opium.fetch_ "SELECT * FROM person" conn
       rows `shouldBe` Right [Person "paul" 25, Person "albus" 103]
 
     it "Fails for invalid queries" $ \conn -> do
-      rows <- Opium.fetch_ @Person "MRTLBRNFT" conn
+      rows <- Opium.fetch_ @Person @[] "MRTLBRNFT" conn
       rows `shouldSatisfy` isLeft
 
     it "Fails for unexpected NULLs" $ \conn -> do
-      rows <- Opium.fetch_ @Person "SELECT NULL AS name, 0 AS age" conn
+      rows <- Opium.fetch_ @Person @[] "SELECT NULL AS name, 0 AS age" conn
       rows `shouldBe` Left (Opium.ErrorUnexpectedNull (Opium.ErrorPosition 0 "name"))
 
     it "Fails for the wrong column type" $ \conn -> do
-      rows <- Opium.fetch_ @Person "SELECT 'quby' AS name, 'indeterminate' AS age" conn
+      rows <- Opium.fetch_ @Person @[] "SELECT 'quby' AS name, 'indeterminate' AS age" conn
       rows `shouldBe` Left (Opium.ErrorInvalidOid "age" $ LibPQ.Oid 25)
 
     it "Works for the readme regression example" $ \conn -> do
-      rows <- Opium.fetch_ @ScoreByAge "SELECT regr_intercept(score, age) AS t, regr_slope(score, age) AS m FROM person" conn
+      rows <- Opium.fetch_ @ScoreByAge @[] "SELECT regr_intercept(score, age) AS t, regr_slope(score, age) AS m FROM person" conn
       rows `shouldSatisfy` \case { (Right [ScoreByAge _ _]) -> True; _ -> False }