Nope. It's a pretty simple system.
They can die, so watch out.
They can be commanded to do things, like go places and open doors.
They can store/carry some of your items.
Anything they do, you are held accountable.
Some followers are better at certain things than others.
Here's a link for anything else: http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=skyrim%20followers&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uesp.net%2Fwiki%2FSkyrim%3AFollowers&ei=fZ7UTuKhKcOcgwfDvP2sAQ&usg=AFQjCNHNoaYEoeIIS-AOQVeclL8ysqXbxA&cad=rja