Vladislav Strzhelchik

Three naval cadets accidentally get possession of a secret diary that was stolen from Bestuzhev, a vice-chancellor of Russia. If this diary ever gets abroad, the consequences for the country would be grave. The cadets are trying to return the papers to their owner, but there are others who want to get the papers...

The Russian Civil War is over and the White Guard are all dead or abroad. Some of the exiled nobles are attempting to crown a new Tsar/Emperor abroad, and a couple of impostors are vying for the position. At the same time, some of the Elusive Avengers' old foes are trying to return to Russia, for mysterious reasons. The avengers are assigned the task of finding out what's going on. Turns out the bad guys are after the Russian Crown, which is encrusted with many diamonds and jewels. It is not clear whether the crown is only wanted for the coronation ceremony or if the bad guys are trying to sell it to the highest bidder, but either way they must be stopped. The avengers are after them. Two go to Paris to infiltrate the emigrant community, and the other two work on the Russian soil.

In December 1825, distinguished members of the Russian military, most of whom were quite affluent and of noble lineage, took it upon themselves to stir revolution against the autocratic and tyrannical Czar Nikolai I in the wake of his not honoring the drafting of a constitution for the Russian people. The revolution failed miserably and the conspirators (known as the Decembrists) were weeded out by the czar himself. One by one, each of the conspirators confess and are systematically exiled to the harsh winters of Siberia, slated to work and wither in a prison/mine. The wives of the conspirators are faced with the prospect of leaving the bosom of wealth and family (including their own children) to be with their husbands in the brutal Siberian locale. If they agree to this, they face having their illustrious social stations stripped away and certain disdain from everyone around them...