Life is a fire we all must pass through. Why are some made stronger by the flames, but others consumed by them? Phoebe and Zoe follows the lives of two fraternal twins raised in a middle-class family in Minnesota. At 24, Zoe is happy, carefree, and about to marry the man of her dreams. Her sister Phoebe is lonely, cynical, and directionless. As the years pass by, Phoebe overcomes the hurdles that life places before her, building a successful career and a happy family. At the same time, Zoe struggles to hold her family together and keep their middle-class status. Finally, when Zoe's family descends into chaos, Phoebe is forced to intervene and try desperately to save her sister's life, as well as the lives of her two troubled children.