In Mystic Pizza, three attractive and interesting women are restless at the end of a lazy summer in a small New England town. Jojo is set to marry a fisherman, only she collapses during the ceremony. She's terrified of the "C" word — commitment. Jojo would rather have good sex with her boyfriend than be his wife.

Daisy and Kat are sisters. The former, who is viewed by everyone as a happy hedonist, begins an affair with a preppie from out of town. Frightened of the "L" word — love — she tries to sabotage their affair.

The sister Kat is a diligent and smart girl who is headed to Yale to study astonomy. Although her interests are the starry skies, she yearns to unlock the secrets of the "S" word — sex. That's why she allows herself to be seduced by a married architect whose wife is overseas. The lesson is disappointing.

Director Donald Petrie draws out impressive and idiosyncratic performances from Julia Roberts as Daisy, Annabeth Gish as Kat, and Lili Taylor as Jojo. Just as no one in town can figure out the mystery ingredients in the sauce at the Mystic Pizza, these three young women can't unlock the mysteries of commitment, love and sex in one summer. It will take a lifetime of experience.