Squamous cell carcinoma is a common invasive epithelial malignancy of the eyelid. This tumor rarely originates from the tarsal plate without skin involvement. We report a 37-year-old man who presented for evaluation with a small, painless protruding nodule on his left upper eyelid. Upon physical examination, a firm, nonmovable 3 mm subcutaneous nodule, 3 mm above the eyelash line, was found. Neither dimpling nor inflammatory change was noted over the pretarsal skin. There was no enlargement of the preauricular or submaxillary lymph nodes. After complete removal of the indolent nodule, histopathology revealed the tumor to be an in situ squamous cell carcinoma originating from the tarsal plate without skin involvement. The clinical appearance of this tumor from the tarsal plate was much like a silent chalazion, and could thus be easily overlooked. Tarsal squamous cell carcinoma is a rare condition that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of tarsal lesions.