Two pirates, Carmaux the
French Basque and Van Stiller the
Hamburger, are rescued by the
Thunder, a
pirate ship under the command of Emilio di Roccabruna of Roccanera, Lord of Valpenta and of Ventimiglia, and feared throughout the Caribbean as the Black Corsair. Once aboard, the two inform the captain that his younger brother the "Red Corsair" has been hanged by Duke van Guld, the Governor of
Maracaibo. The Black Corsair decides to sneak into the city to retrieve his brother's body and give him an honourable burial at sea. Carmaux and Van Stiller accompany the Corsair to the city, and aided by their
Negro friend Moko, manage to steal the body. After a series of adventures the Corsair and his men return to the
Thunder with the body. On the night the Corsair buries his brother, he vows to slay Van Guld and all those who bear his name. En route to
Tortuga, the pirates attack and capture a Spanish ship. They find a young noblewoman aboard, Honorata Willerman, the Duchess of Weltrendrem. She is taken captive to Tortuga where she is to await payment of her ransom. Struck by her beauty and spirit, the Corsair frees her and the two quickly fall in love. The hunt for Governor Van Guld resumes and the Black Corsair and L'Ollonais lead an attack on Maracaibo. Unfortunately the governor escapes and the Black Corsair and his companions must track him through the jungles of Venezuela. There they encounter savage beasts, quick sand, and cannibal
Arawaks. Van Guld proves elusive and to capture him the pirates must make an assault on the city of
Gibraltar, Venezuela. They succeed in storming the city only to find out they are late: Van Guld has fled again. Returning to the
Thunder, a Spanish prisoner reveals accidentally this terrible truth, "Honorata Willerman" is really Honorata de Van Guld, Governor Van Guld's daughter! So the Black Corsair must kill her because he has sworn to kill all those bearing his hated enemy's name. Honorata is willing to accept her death, but the Corsair is not able to kill her in cold blood and instead he decides to maroon her on a fragile boat. While he sees his beloved Honorata drifting away on a fragile boat which can sink at any moment, the Corsair bursts into tears. "Look, Stiller, the Black Corsair is crying!" says a grieving Carmaux. ==Sequels==