The ministers of the established Anglican church were a mainstay of colonial life in Virginia and one of the most well-known was the Reverend William Kay. The young man’s fame began one Sunday in 1745 when he preached a sermon against the vice of pride. Among his congregants was the powerful and proud Col. Landon Carter, who took offense, swore revenge, and vowed to drive Kay from the parish. Carter's prolonged crusade against Kay went down in history when high government and church officials supported the minister’s cause in groundbreaking litigation and legislation. The embattled preacher emerged victorious and sought peace in a new parish. But what eluded history, until now, was his ultimate fate.

Recently uncovered documents reveal that a mere two years after his struggle with Carter subsided, Kay was murdered and three of his slaves were accused of the crime. The story of Kay’s life and death is explored, and with it, how his fate and that of the slaves became the subject of a top-level, colonial cover-up.