In Tiger, Sharpe is a private in the 33rd Regiment of Foot, serving in southern India during the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799.

Sharpe is contemplating desertion with his paramour, half-caste army widow Mary Bickerstaff, due to his sadistic company sergeant, Obadiah Hakeswill.

Hakeswill lusts after Mary, so he provokes Sharpe into hitting him before witnesses, company commander Captain Morris and Ensign Hicks.

Sharpe quickly takes charge and brings Mary along, to protect her from Hakeswill and because she speaks several of the native languages.

He then orders Sharpe to shoot a British prisoner, Colonel McCandless; he does, having noticed that the "gunpowder" he has been given is fake.

Sharpe's shot is slightly high, but Lawford, to his mortification, ends up hitting a British scout.

He finds that she is attracted to one of Appah Rao's men, Kunwar Singh, news which Sharpe takes in good grace.

Meanwhile, Tippoo orders the prisoners executed by his personal bodyguard, the fearsome Jettis, but spares Hakeswill when the sergeant betrays Lawford and Sharpe.

Gudin then tells them that the spy they sought in the city had been killed weeks before and fed to Tippoo's pet tigers.