"In Venice, there are three magical and invisible spaces, one in the passage of friends' love, a second one on the bridge of wonders, and the third one in the passage of the Maranas, near the old Jewish ghetto of San Geramaya. When the Venetians feel bored with the current authorities, they go to these three magical spaces and open the doors that are located deep in those courtyards. To get lost forever in dreamy and beautiful places."

This is how "The Secret Courtyard of Mystery" by Corto Maltese begins, the romantic wandering sailor whose story begins in Venice in the year 1918, when Europe is ready to be liberated from the horror of World War I. Then, we are transported to Hong Kong, where Corto Maltese is approached by the secret organization "Red Lanterns" and is assigned a mission! Thus, he will travel to Manchuria and from there to Siberia, with the aim of finding a train full of gold, which is in the hands of Tsar Kolchak... His loyal friend Rasputin will accompany him on this adventure, as well as the agent of the "Red Lanterns" Shanghai - Lil, while he will face strange personalities such as Baron Ungern - Sternberg, General Semenov, and Duchess Marina Seminova!"