The colorful chaos of a bustling mercantile street is portrayed in this provocative tale of ''town and gown'' against the backdrop of very proper Cambridge, England. Set in the fictional IndiaNeed Shop on the very real Mill Road, it revolves around the misadventures of the all-female volunteer staff--three wildly disparate East Asians, one fiery Irishwoman, and their imperious Armani-clad manager, ''Lady Di.'' Disaster, death, and romance come to a boil as a normal day spirals into pandemonium in a series of bizarre events. Underneath the laughs wriggle a number of questions that won't go quietly: ''Where is home? If life is a struggle, is it about taking control, holding on, or letting go?'' Despite the antics of lovers, husbands, and eccentric customers, these reluctant heroines do their best to survive.