La Philosophie de Leibnitz (1840)

In the first part, we meet Melissa, who is a teenager with many secrets, but the darkest one of all is that she must survive daily abuse from her parents. She falls deeper into drug and alcohol abuse, only having her friends Shelley and Scott to fall back on. At first, Melissa cannot bring herself to tell anyone about the pain she is enduring, but eventually confesses to her friends. After Shelley dies from an overdose, Scott finally convinces Melissa to get help. Fast forward two years later and Melissa is now living with Scott and his family. When Shelley starts to communicate with her from the world beyond, Melissa keeps it a secret. But Shelley has an important message for her, one that will force Melissa to break out of her shell and bring to light all the feelings she has bottled up inside.