[close] Adrift in a state of "perfect closeness," Doris and Florence Meek, identical girl twins, spend their days chasing butterflies through the Vermont woods, frowning and laughing simultaneously--their mirrored gestures a sign of their uncanny connection. Intrigued by the outside world, Florence trades the luxurious intimacy of twinhood for friendship, marriage, and a successful career as an artist. Feeling inadequate and left behind, Doris settles into a life of self-pity, depression, and despondency that's only fueled by Florence's mysterious disappearance. Only when a writer solicits her help in piecing together Florence's biography, does Doris begin to realize that Florence wasn't all she seemed to be, and that, indeed, she may be the stronger and wiser of the two sisters. [close]