diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 97d8935..0b1bf8d 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -45,7 +45,11 @@ function find_shims_in_package(pkgJson, cur_path, shims, browser) {
     // then it just replaces the main entry point
     if (typeof replacements === 'string') {
         var key = path.resolve(cur_path, info.main || 'index.js');
-        shims[key] = path.resolve(cur_path, replacements);
+        if (replacements[0] === '.')
+            shims[key] = path.resolve(cur_path, replacements);
+        else
+            shims[cur_path] = replacements;
+
         return;
     }
 
@@ -164,7 +168,10 @@ function build_resolve_opts(opts, base) {
 
         // replace main
         if (typeof replacements === 'string') {
-            info.main = replacements;
+            if (replacements[0] === '.')
+                info.main = replacements;
+            else 
+                info.main = resv.sync(replacements, build_resolve_opts(opts, info.__dirname || base))
             return info;
         }
 
diff --git a/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-t/main.js b/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-t/main.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b4597a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-t/main.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+// module-t
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-t/package.json b/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-t/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0aa6a78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-t/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+    "main": "./main.js",
+    "browser": "module-b"
+}
diff --git a/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-u/index.js b/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-u/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7039380
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-u/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+require('module-t');
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-u/package.json b/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-u/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a9907d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/node_modules/module-u/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+    "main": "./index.js"
+}
diff --git a/test/modules-sync.js b/test/modules-sync.js
index 914758a..a1f8b42 100644
--- a/test/modules-sync.js
+++ b/test/modules-sync.js
@@ -33,6 +33,45 @@ test('string browser field as main - require subfile', function() {
     assert.equal(path, require.resolve('./fixtures/node_modules/module-c/bar'));
 });
 
+// package.json has 'browser' field which is a reference to another module
+// the replacement should be respected if the module is resolved 
+test('string browser field as main - alt module', function() {
+    var parent = {
+        filename: fixtures_dir + '/module-t/_fake.js',
+        paths: [ fixtures_dir + '/module-t/node_modules' ],
+        package: { main: './main.js' }
+    };
+
+    var path = resolve.sync('.', parent)
+    assert.equal(path, require.resolve('./fixtures/node_modules/module-b/main'));
+});
+
+// package.json has 'browser' field which is a reference to another module
+// the replacement should be ignored if the file referenced in main is explicitly resolved
+test('string browser field as main - alt module - explicit main', function() {
+    var parent = {
+        filename: fixtures_dir + '/module-t/_fake.js',
+        paths: [ fixtures_dir + '/module-t/node_modules' ],
+        package: { main: './main.js' }
+    };
+
+    var path = resolve.sync('./main.js', parent)
+    assert.equal(path, require.resolve('./fixtures/node_modules/module-t/main'));
+});
+
+// package.json has 'browser' field which is a reference to another module
+// the replacement should be respected if the module is required from another module
+test('string browser field as main - alt module - required from another module', function() {
+    var parent = {
+        filename: fixtures_dir + '/module-u/index.js',
+        paths: [ fixtures_dir ],
+        package: { main: './index.js' }
+    };
+
+    var path = resolve.sync('module-t', parent)
+    assert.equal(path, require.resolve('./fixtures/node_modules/module-b/main'));
+});
+
 // package.json has browser field as object
 // one of the keys replaces the main file
 // this would be done if the user needed to replace main and some other module
diff --git a/test/modules.js b/test/modules.js
index d1a3814..7d79d89 100644
--- a/test/modules.js
+++ b/test/modules.js
@@ -33,6 +33,57 @@ test('string browser field as main', function(done) {
     });
 });
 
+// package.json has 'browser' field which is a reference to another module
+// the replacement should be respected if the module is resolved 
+test('string browser field as main - alt module', function(done) {
+    var parent = {
+        filename: fixtures_dir + '/module-t/_fake.js',
+        paths: [ fixtures_dir + '/module-t/node_modules' ],
+        package: { main: './main.js' }
+    };
+
+    resolve('.', parent, function(err, path, pkg) {
+        assert.ifError(err);
+        assert.equal(path, require.resolve('./fixtures/node_modules/module-b/main'));
+        assert.equal(pkg.main, './main.js');
+        done();
+    });
+});
+
+// package.json has 'browser' field which is a reference to another module
+// the replacement should be ignored if the file referenced in main is explicitly resolved
+test('string browser field as main - alt module - explicit main', function(done) {
+    var parent = {
+        filename: fixtures_dir + '/module-t/_fake.js',
+        paths: [ fixtures_dir + '/module-t/node_modules' ],
+        package: { main: './main.js' }
+    };
+
+    resolve('./main.js', parent, function(err, path, pkg) {
+        assert.ifError(err);
+        assert.equal(path, require.resolve('./fixtures/node_modules/module-t/main'));
+        assert.equal(pkg.main, './main.js');
+        done();
+    });
+});
+
+// package.json has 'browser' field which is a reference to another module
+// the replacement should be respected if the module is required from another module
+test('string browser field as main - alt module - required from another module', function(done) {
+    var parent = {
+        filename: fixtures_dir + '/module-u/index.js',
+        paths: [ fixtures_dir ],
+        package: { main: './index.js' }
+    };
+
+    resolve('module-t', parent, function(err, path, pkg) {
+        assert.ifError(err);
+        assert.equal(path, require.resolve('./fixtures/node_modules/module-b/main'));
+        assert.equal(pkg.main, require.resolve('./fixtures/node_modules/module-b/main'));
+        done();
+    });
+});
+
 // package.json has 'browser' field which is a string
 test('string browser field as main - require subfile', function(done) {
     var parent = {