Save the Tiger

The events take place in the early 1970s Los Angeles scene, a period of bold fashion, counterculture, and shifting economic pressures. The fashion show backdrop and the proposal of risky financing reflect the era’s precarious business climate. War memories from the protagonist’s past color present decisions, rooting the story in a specific historical moment.

The story unfolds across an upscale Beverly Hills mansion and the bustling Los Angeles fashion scene along the Sunset Strip, with key action centered at a Long Beach factory. These locations juxtapose glamorous, privileged living with the darker realities of a faltering clothing business. The settings anchor the tension between wealth, showmanship, and risk.

💰 Greed

Desperate financial pressure pushes Stoner and Greene toward unethical shortcuts, including fraudulent accounting and an arson-for-insurance scheme. The fear of an impending audit and bankruptcy intensifies their willingness to cross moral boundaries. The lure of quick money threatens to erode trust, friendship, and professional ethics.

🪖 Trauma

Harry Stoner’s WWII memories intrude on the present, shaping impulsive behavior and a disconnect from reality. Nightmares and nostalgia color his decisions, including the choice to risk others for personal safety and security. The past continuously bleeds into his business life, trapping him in a cycle of memory and action.

⏳ Midlife

Stoner faces aging out of power and the fear of losing status in a cutthroat industry. The pressure to maintain a glamorous lifestyle reveals a hollowness at the heart of wealth. His willingness to gamble with others’ lives marks a desperation to preserve his place in a world that is passing him by.