Burden tells the incredible true story of Michael "Mike" Burden (Garrett Hedlund), an ardent young member of the South Carolina Ku Klux Klan who rose to the rank of Grand Dragon – and walked away from all of it with the help of a new love and an unlikely ally, the African American religious leader and social activist Reverend David Kennedy (Academy Award® winner Forest Whitaker). The film's cast additionally includes Academy Award® nominee Tom Wilkinson, Andrea Riseborough, Academy Award® nominee Tess Harper, Crystal Fox and Usher.