Here is an overview of the minor arcana:
The Minor Arcana represent specific paths or issues in four major areas:
 

Tarot Suit:	Conventional Suit:	Direction:	Topic:
Swords	Spades	North	War and conflict
Wands or Batons	Clubs	South	Spiritual or intellectual matters
Coins or Pentacles	Diamonds		Money and material or practical things
Cups	Hearts	West	Love and matters of sentiment

 ...and in case you were wondering, yes you can use a normal card deck as you would the tarot.  A conventional deck doesn't have a major arcana, but the court cards will cover most life path issues.

The suits of minor arcana each tell a story that covers the possibilities within particular paths or topics.  Where they come up in a spread determines the full meaning, but each has a general meaning and a phase of the story associated with it.