Russian Empire, 1919. By a twist of fate, young idealist Osip Zadunaisky meets an infamous con artist and self-proclaimed Turkish subject Ibrahim Bender. A man of pure thought and aristocratic upbringing, Osip would never have associated with a cunning and unscrupulous swindler, but Bender comes up with an offer Osip cannot refuse. A precious royal relic, a diamond-encrusted golden scepter is hidden somewhere in town; Bender needs a partner on his mission to find it, and offers Osip a share of the profit from selling the treasure. And so begins their joint venture, wrought with comical and dangerous twists and turns, where they have to outsmart and outmaneuver officers of the White Guard as well as the local mafia, who also have their eyes on the scepter. As their quest unfolds, Osip is compelled to learn Bender’s tricks of the trade: charming flattery, delicate deception, soft intimidation... as well as brute force.

On a remote island in Southeast Asia, a team of scientists, studying the regenerative properties of the salamander, discovers what their Bangkok headquarters refer to as "The Priceless Gift": an elixir of life. News of the discovery travels quickly, and profiteers begin to circle the island, only to find out just how dangerous a discovery it is. During the research process, they also uncovered an unstoppable disease. When the research team goes missing, it leaves behind a warning: that the disease has spread, and is threatening to go global. Special forces and mercenaries from around the world descend on the island, making apparent that there is more at stake than just profit and ambition, but the survival of humanity.

In 1889, mounted on a small gray horse named Serko, Dimitri leaves his garrison on the Asian borders of the Russian Empire on the banks of the Amur River. After extraordinary adventures, they both arrive in St. Petersburg, at the court of the Tsar. Having covered more than 9000 kilometers in less than 200 days, this young rider has achieved the most fantastic equestrian feat of all time.

A re-imagination of Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s final days in power as WWII draws to a close.