It's a secondary melody that complements the main melody. It's different than a harmony in that it doesn't change the notes at the same time as the melody. It can stand as a melody on its own, but it usually moves at an opposite pace as the lead melody (i.e., so they don't interfere with each other). In other words, when the main melody is moving rapidly (e.g., 8th notes), the countermelody usually plays longer and more sustained notes (e.g., half-notes), and vice versa.