A bank employee's desire for advancement collides with a Ponzi scheme and the responsibility to act ethically.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
A Promotion Slips Away
Roger's long career at the bank does not lead to promotion. Financial pressure grows as his family struggles to match the lifestyle around them.
Key Events
Twenty Years at the Bank — Roger has worked at the same bank for more than twenty years. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Bank
Promotion Passed Over — Roger is passed over for a promotion at the bank. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Bank
Pressure for a Better Life — Roger faces family pressure because the household wants a more comfortable lifestyle. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Family setting
Country Club Affordability — The family can barely afford membership at Copper Canyon Country Club. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Copper Canyon Country Club
Mansions Everywhere — Roger's family sees that other people have expensive mansions. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Copper Canyon Country Club
The Price of Advancement
Roger's boss tells him that more revenue is necessary for advancement. Copper Canyon Estates becomes the suggested path to increased earnings.
Key Events
More Money Required — Roger's boss says he must make more money for the bank to earn promotion. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Bank
Estates Investment Strategy — Roger is encouraged to promote investment in Copper Canyon Estates. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Bank
Henry Told to Cut Corners — Henry is being instructed to cut corners in connection with the development. Characters: HenryLocation: Copper Canyon Estates
Cynthia's First Period — Cynthia deals with her first period as she enters adolescence. Characters: CynthiaLocation: Family setting
Adolescence Arrives — Cynthia confronts the challenges of becoming a teenager. Characters: CynthiaLocation: Family setting
Family Fault Lines
Henry is told to cut corners while Cynthia experiences her first period and the challenges of adolescence. Roger's professional choices increasingly touch his family life.
Key Events
Roger Weighs Investment Sales — Roger considers promoting Copper Canyon Estates to potential investors. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Bank
Outside Money Pursued — Roger succeeds in getting an outside investor to invest money. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Copper Canyon Country Club
Investment Enters Estates — Money is directed toward Copper Canyon Estates through Roger's investment efforts. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Copper Canyon Estates
Corners Become Visible — Roger's investment activity intersects with the corner-cutting connected to Henry. Characters: Roger Lent, HenryLocation: Copper Canyon Estates
The Scheme Is Exposed — Roger discovers that Copper Canyon Estates is a Ponzi scheme. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Copper Canyon Estates
The Ponzi Revelation
Roger obtains investment money and then discovers that Copper Canyon Estates is a Ponzi scheme. His pursuit of advancement becomes an ethical crisis.
Key Events
Family Stakes Intensify — Roger's financial and ethical crisis is set against Henry's work and Cynthia's adolescence. Characters: Roger Lent, Henry, CynthiaLocation: Family setting
Promotion Versus Integrity — Roger must weigh the promotion pressure against what he knows about the scheme. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Bank
The Right Thing — Roger faces the decision of whether to do the right thing. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Bank
Consequences Considered — Roger's choice carries implications for his family and their financial pressures. Characters: Roger Lent, Henry, CynthiaLocation: Family setting
Moral Decision Pending — The story culminates in Roger deciding whether to act ethically. Characters: Roger LentLocation: Copper Canyon Estates
Story Breakdown
Roger's Stalled Career — Roger's long service is followed by a denied promotion and increased professional pressure.
Long Bank Service — Roger has worked at the same bank for more than twenty years.
Promotion Denied — Roger is passed over and told that greater revenue is needed for advancement.
Family Lifestyle Pressure — The family's limited finances intensify Roger's need for professional success.
Club Membership Strain — The family can barely afford Copper Canyon Country Club membership.
Mansion Comparison — The family is surrounded by people with expensive mansions.
Copper Canyon Opportunity — Copper Canyon Estates is presented as a way for Roger to generate more money for the bank.
Investment Promotion — Roger is encouraged to promote investments in Copper Canyon Estates.
Outside Investor — Roger gets an outside investor to put money into the development.
Henry's Ethical Pressure — Henry's connection to the development exposes the pressure to compromise standards.
Cutting Corners — Henry is instructed to cut corners in connection with Copper Canyon Estates.
Family Connection — Henry's situation makes the development's practices personally relevant to Roger.
Cynthia's Adolescence — Cynthia faces a separate but significant transition into teenage life.
First Period — Cynthia deals with her first period.
Becoming a Teenager — Cynthia confronts the challenges of growing up.
Ponzi Scheme Revelation — Roger learns that the investment opportunity is fraudulent, transforming professional pressure into a moral crisis.
Fraud Discovered — Roger finds out that Copper Canyon Estates is a Ponzi scheme.
Truth Versus Advancement — Roger must choose between doing the right thing and pursuing the benefits of promotion.
In the town of Copper Canyon, people are cashing in on an economic housing boom, and the local country club is buzzing about the investment opportunity. Once vivacious couple, Roger (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Georgie (Kyra Sedgwick), have settled into a complacent lifestyle of mediocrity where their marriage is falling apart and their children are turning away from them. Nonetheless, the desperately discontent Georgie pushes Roger into finding a way to invest in the market bubble in the hopes that their family can be saved with the money they are sure to make. When local tennis pro and part-time drug dealer, Pat (Rhys Coiro), comes to Roger for investment advice, Roger sees his opportunity. Torn by the reality that his family could be saved by this dirty money, Roger finds himself staring down the barrel of a moral conundrum.
