The series examines a number of issues related to the Arab society, especially the Egyptian one, the most important of which is the problem of terrorism and how this issue is handled.
The year is 1915. Europe is engulfed in the flames of the First World War. At this time, the revolutionary theorist, political emigrant and adventurer Alexander Parvus is holding talks with the German Foreign Minister, Gottlieb von Jagow. The negotiations end with unexpected success. The German government personally allocates "a lot of money" to Parvus, which should go to the revolution in Russia. This is the beginning of a story that tells not only about the life of this extraordinary man and his role in the historical events that ended in October 1917.
The story follows the Castaño Gil family, a prosperous cattle ranching family marked by the kidnapping and murder of patriarch José Castaño by the guerrilla. This event triggers the decision of brothers Fidel, Vicente, and Carlos to form a self-defense army to fight the guerrillas, intensifying the armed conflict in Colombia. However, what seemed like a unified struggle is threatened by betrayal.
The plot takes place in 1942-1943, during the defense of Stalingrad. The Jew Viktor Strum is a talented nuclear physicist working in one of the country's institutes on the creation of an atomic bomb. At this time, Strum's relatives die in Nazi camps and NKVD dungeons, and persecution begins against him. The inventor can only be saved by his scientific brainchild, which Stalin himself became interested in. The state needs such a powerful weapon as an atomic bomb. The scientist has to make a choice: to remain faithful to science and work for the "leader of the nation" or to abandon his vocation and be destroyed.
A story set in the mid-1800's about a young doctor who has been trained in Western-style medicine and a young samurai who is trying to live up to the old traditions of his class and culture. The story is actually based upon real people - the doctor, Ryo-an, was Tezuka's great grandfather.
The manga series was adapted to anime by Madhouse Studios and premiered in Japan on NTV on April 4, 2000.